Candle in the Window
by Tw1st
Summary: Finn Hudson was a star football player in Lansing, Michigan, just beginning his junior year at Skyline High School while working eagerly towards his bright and promising future. But when his mother decides that they are moving to Lima, Ohio to live with her long-distance boyfriend and his unique son, Finn's entire world is turned completely upside down.
1. The Big Move

**A/N:** Oh, _gosh_. I can't even watch the final season of Glee without blubbering like a fool over Finn/Cory.

This story picks up in 2011, and the oldest student's within New Directions are at the beginning of their junior year. I wrote this as if the 2010 season (sophomore year) went on _almost_ exactly as it did – except, without Finn. (Which, _yeah_ , would have been practically impossible, but ahwell.)

Finn and his mother are just now moving from Lansing, Michigan to Lima, Ohio to live with Burt and Kurt. Finn is transferring to McKinley High with absolutely _no_ intentions of singing, dancing, or having a good attitude about his transfer.

I hope you all enjoy.

This will eventually be a **Finn Hudson/Rachel Berry romance** story, with spurts of **Kurt Hummel/Blaine Anderson romance**. And, of course, a _ton_ of Finn and Kurt brotherly-love.

 **Disclaimer:** I own a massive zero percent of Glee.

* * *

Finn Hudson rubbed his hands up and down his pant legs in an attempt to distract himself from his racing, intrusive thoughts. _Nearly there_ , he pondered silently, gazing past the truck's passenger window to watch the meadows of Ohio roll silently by.

He and his mother, Carole, had been traveling for almost 3 hours now, hauling a trailer full of their only worthy belongings noisily behind them. With every large, rattling bump in the road Finn found himself wincing nervously as he pictured his old and warn-out drum set clanking roughly against the thin trailer walls. He desperately wanted to ask his mother to "slow down" or "be more careful", but he couldn't bring himself to initiate yet _another_ conflict between them.

Since Carole had solidified her one-sided decision to move out of Michigan, leaving their apartment and long-time home behind, Finn and his mother had hardly experienced a civil conversation. In the past 24 hours, in fact, Finn had hardly managed to say more than 10 words to her. Yet, how could he really be blamed for his frustrations? He was 17 years old, barely starting his Junior year of High School, and his mother decided – out of the blue – that she had found 'true love' in the form of a man residing in Ohio. The straw that eventually broke the camel's back was Carole's resounding decision that the only viable option for Finn and herself was to move in with this 'true love' and his son, all the way in Lima, Ohio.

Finn pressed his dark brown hair against the head rest of the seat, closing his eyes as the "Welcome to Lima" sign flew by the passenger window. A guilty pressure plummeted into the pit of his stomach as the reality of the former football star's future began to form anew within his mind; unwelcomely followed by the recurring memory of his final exchange with his friends earlier that morning.

* * *

Monday was a _horrible_ day to move.

It was almost as horrible as enrolling into a brand new school on a Tuesday, but Finn hardly had any control over his mother's new work schedule.

Carole and Finn had spent the entire weekend packing; beginning on Friday after Finn's final football practice and packing all the way up through Sunday night. On Monday morning – this _dismal_ morning – Finn had routinely rolled through his normal schedule and hauled all of his school books into the office, somberly returning each item in turn. Carole and Finn had come to an agreement that he would stay at Skyline High until the last lunch bell, mainly so that he could say farewell to his friends, then together they would tackle the 3 hour drive to Lima.

So here Finn sat at the lunch table, bitter and inconsolable, listening to his best friend ramble on about his personal opinions on the matter.

"She's being selfish!" Zach finished his tirade, running his hand through the short blonde spikes atop his head and nudging Finn's lifeless arm in hopes of a reaction. "Just tell her you won't go."

"Nah, man, she's not being selfish." Finn retorted, shrugging his fellow football teammate and long-time friend away. "She's… I don't know. She _needs_ this."

"Tell her she can go and you'll stay here." Jacob added while plopping down on the hard, metal chair across from Finn.

Finn, who had spent the last ten minutes fixated down toward his grey sneakers, glanced over the lunch table toward Jacob and shot him an irritated glare. Jacob was a short, round boy with curly brown hair and dimples deep enough to collect a tablespoon of water. He looked quite different than Zach, who was lean, tall, blonde, and impressively athletic. Finn and Jacob had had their bouts of animosity toward one another, whereas Finn and Zach had been inseparable from the moment they met – though, Zach always held a pinch of resentment towards Finn's 'star' status among the football team.

Somehow, however, the trio remained a tightly-knit group, despite their differences and disagreements.

Jacob shifted his weight uncomfortably and mumbled, "Fine. Don't. Have fun being a loser at William McKinley High School for the Sharts."

Finn exhaled heavily as Zach and Jacob shared a laugh at his expense. He was troubled by the realization that he couldn't muster up the strength to pull himself out of his despair and up into his own defense – but his friends _were_ right. William Mckinley High School for the Arts was a much smaller school with a cringingly laugh-able football team; whereas the high school he was leaving behind, Skyline High School, consistently produced the top football team in its division year after year.

And, in short, football was Finn's one and only true 'calling'.

"Oh shut up you two," A soft, feminine voice cooed. Finn glanced over to find Katherine, his on-again-off-again girlfriend of two years, seating herself in the chair alongside him. She flipped her long, black locks over her right shoulder and scooted the chair noisily closer toward Finn, scraping the metal legs of the chair loudly across the slick floor, then threw her arm dramatically across his broad shoulders. "Finny is being a good son!"

Finn visibly recoiled as the nickname slipped past her lips.

"Well he's screwing our football team in the process!" Said Jacob, finally auditing his true concerns and rolling his eyes at Katherine's personal display of affection.

"Seriously what the hell are we supposed to do now?" Zach continued, slamming his fist down onto the table in a melodramatic manner.

Finn's chest tensed as his eyes bounced from Zach, to Jacob, to Katherine, then back onto Zach. He had fully expected his friends to be harmlessly unhelpful in easing his pain, but he hadn't expected them to be this _ornery_ about it.

"Ignore them." Kat commanded, hooking her finger along Finn's jawline and pulling his attention back onto her. Her brown eyes sank into a lustrous glare as she bit down on her lower lip, softly rubbing his cheek with her index finger. "Let's just focus on figuring out how you and I are going to keep this relationship going."

"Uh…" Finn started, grabbing her hand and pulling it slowly away from his face. "I'm moving three hours away, Kat."

"So?" The brunette challenged, swatting his hand away and grabbing at his shirt collar. "We have phones. We can still text, and call, and… picture message." She purred into his ear, pressing her chest suggestively into his arm. Finn felt the heat rising from the nape of his neck as Katherine's finger tips brushed across the skin at his collar bone, and he pulled instinctively away from her, leaning his shoulder roughly into Zach.

Katherine wasn't always known for being 'pushy' with him, but the ever-growing knowledge of Finn's departure seemed to ignite a desperation and neediness within her. When their romantic relationship had begun, roughly two years earlier, Katherine had been a completely different person – quiet, kind, and gentle. But when an ugly divorce fell between Katherine's parents the sweet girl's heart sank into a dark, cold place. Finn had struggled over the past three months to draw his girlfriend back from whatever lonely, harsh reality she had created within herself, but her internal struggles were too large for him to tackle.

And now, on the last day that Finn would be in town, Katherine was sinking fast into the lowest place he had ever seen.

"Christ, Kat, you don't want to see pictures of Finn naked." Zach scoffed, pushing Finn back into her with a laugh.

"You probably don't want to see pictures of Finn _at all_." Jacob added, sighing as the lunch bell echoed around the large room.

"Ok, guys, well this was … yeah… I've got to go." Stammered Finn, jumping to his feet and rounding his chair uncomfortably. He hadn't exactly pictured how this farewell meeting between him and his friends was going to go down, but he was certain that the scenario would have played out more smoothly in his mind.

"Wait this is it!? This is the last time I will get to see you?" Katherine belted, hopping up and throwing herself into Finn's chest. "Call me _every_ day, Finny!"

"Mmmmsure." Finn mumbled into her hair, wrapping his arms gingerly around her. There was once a time when he knew he could have fallen in love with the frail, delicately beautiful girl that Katherine used to be; but Finn hadn't known or seen that perfect girl in months. When their embrace ended Katherine slipped away into the dispersing crowd of students and Finn breathed a breath full of relief.

"Jokes aside, we're gonna miss you man." Zach smiled, reaching his hand out towards Finn in a friendly gesture as he threw his backpack across his shoulder.

Finn followed suit, twisting his lips up into a half-hearted smile and clasping ahold of Zach's outstretched hand. Zach pulled Finn into his arms, hugging him tightly, and Jacob jumped on their backs in a playful manner, adding to the strange bro bear-hug.

It wasn't _supposed_ to be this way.

Finn wasn't supposed to be saying goodbye to his best friends halfway through his high school experience. He wasn't supposed to transfer two weeks into his Junior year of high school on the back of his mother's whimsical love affair. He wasn't supposed to give up on all of his dreams and leave behind his _one and only shot_ of being someone special, surrounded by peers who believed in him. This was all so _wrong_.

"Later, guys." Finn muttered as he pulled away from Zach and Jacob, shoving his hands into his pant pockets as he moved slowly towards the exit.

"Say 'hello' to the only ten other people living in Lima!" Jacob snickered after him.

* * *

"Honey, are you ok?"

Finn's fingers, which he had been absentmindedly drumming along to the beat of the radio's music, fell into stillness in his lap as his mother twisted the knob and silenced the melody. He ran his tongue awkwardly across the front of his teeth, wishing that he could muster up a convincing tone to assure her that he wasn't as miserable as he, in fact, was.

"Yeah, I'm…" he winced and fell into a silent span as their car sped by the local coffee shop named 'The Lima Bean'. His eyelid noticeably twitched as he physically refrained from rolling his eyes. "This is a _really_ small town, Mom."

"I know it seems small compared to Lansing but – oh look!" Carole motioned excitedly across the dashboard, pointing with enthusiasm at an auto shop called 'Hummel Tires and Lube'. "There's Burt's shop!"

"Great." Finn said with a forced and sarcastic joy, folding his arms at his chest.

Carole deflated and Finn hated himself in that moment.

Before he could apologize, Carole began again, "Finn honey, I know this is hard for you. Believe it or not this is hard for me, too."

"No it's not." He argued, frustrated by her attempts to relate to him. There was no way that Carole understood how he felt; she hated her job in Lansing, she had no friends in Lansing, she despised their apartment in Lansing… how could she _possibly_ understand him? How could she sit there and pretend to know his pain?

"Hey!" She warned loudly, glaring at him. Finn pressed his fingertips into his temple and released a rush of hot, frustrated air through his flaring nostrils. He _missed_ his mom. He missed their talks, and their jokes, and their shared laughter, and he especially missed her hugs…

 _I can't forgive her for this. Not now, at least._

Carole softened and continued, reaching her right arm out to run a gentle hand down the back of Finn's neck. "This is better for us. There was nothing for us in Lansing. Lima is a growing town, with lots of – "

"Cows." Finn finished, pulling away from her touch.

Carole sighed and bowed her head forward in a defeated acceptance. "You're mad at me. That's fine," she started, "but don't take it out on Burt and Kurt."

Their conversation tumbled into an awkward silence as Carole turned the steering wheel to the left, leading them down a surprisingly busy neighborhood street.

The road around them was tightly filled with parked, unmoving cars and almost every front yard was bustling with a range of sorted activities; children playing hop scotch, a few young boys tossing a football around, two men working on the engine of a truck, and an elderly woman knitting a blanket on her front porch. The neighborhood appeared to be very traditional yet charmingly quaint in its own unique way, and the sight of it pulled Finn momentarily away from his pessimism.

This cheery feeling dissipated almost as quickly as it appeared as Carole slowed the beat-up truck to a stop, parking it in the driveway of a brown, two-story, picturesque home. Finn cringed at how cookie-cutter the house appeared with its combination of light brown shutters, perfectly trimmed hedges, and a very large glass pane front door.

As he stared, steaming about the perfect dullness of it all, the shiny front door swung inward to reveal Burt, beaming in the entrance, shadowed by Kurt.

 _I wonder what Kurt really thinks of this whole conjoining of the families deal…_ Finn wondered silently, watching as the father and son duo made their way down to the front of the driveway, both grinning expectantly.

With a sigh Finn wrapped his hand around the car door handle and shoved the squeaking metal outward, throwing his feet onto the hard ground below. The warm, pleasant breeze of the Fall afternoon happily greeted him as he stepped out into the fresh air, and he stretched his arms and legs in one slow, stiff motion.

Carole shut the truck's heavy driver-side door loudly behind her as she walked briskly up to the top of the driveway. Finn watched with a blank expression as Burt pulled Carole up into an excited embrace, then knelt down to plant a soft kiss on her lips.

Kurt glided around their parent's, smiling in approval, then made his way over toward Finn with excitement.

"Hey roomie!" Kurt exclaimed, wiggling back and forth in his perfectly polished shoes.

"Wait – roomie… like… same-room-ie?" Finn stammered, failing at containing the horror on his face.

Kurt belt out a long, sharp laugh, then reached forward and fastened his arm around Finn's elbow, leading him up toward their embracing parents. "No, no. The only two people sharing a room in this house are _these_ lovebirds."

Carole and Burt shared a chuckle and Finn swallowed uncomfortably at the thought.

"Hullo, Finn." Burt smiled, releasing Carole and reaching a hand out toward Finn.

Finn clasped Burt's palm, halfway grinning, then released it with obvious discomfort. "Hey."

"Come on, I'll show you where your room is!" Said Kurt, gesturing toward the front door.

"Uh…" Finn glanced to Burt and Carole, who both stared at him with bated breath, then turned back toward Kurt and nodded. "Yeah, ok. Thanks."

The inside of the house was much bolder than the outside – lots of bright colors and shiny sculptures – and the way Kurt glanced continually back at Finn proved that Kurt was _entirely_ to blame for the furnishings. Finn would occasionally shoot Kurt a smile when he received the expectant looks, though he couldn't quite swallow how he truly felt about the decorating; it wasn't like the house was super flamboyant, but it certainly wasn't a home that Finn was accustomed to living in. And, of course, Finn couldn't help but notice the obvious dashes of a feminine touch that _usually_ would not be found in a home occupying only a man and his son.

And yet, Finn expected this.

Finn had met Kurt three times throughout the course of their parent's romance, and he was fully aware of _who_ Kurt was and _how_ Kurt expressed himself. Carole had, at one point, attempted to discuss the situation of Kurt with Finn – but Finn hadn't felt the need to delve into it.

Finn's friends in Lansing may have been quick to judge and were often times closed minded, but Finn had been raised to view the world differently. He had been taught to embrace everyone as they were and to judge people for only what truly mattered; and Carole always encouraged Finn to surround himself with good – and often times unique – people.

So, as Kurt led Finn up the stairway and down the hallway to the last room on the left, Finn was cautious and careful to remind himself that Kurt _was_ the good kind of person to surround himself with; unique.

Kurt twisted the handle to the mysterious room and dramatically swung the door open with a little "ta-da" motion, gesturing for Finn to step in first. Finn obliged, pleasantly surprised to find that his new bedroom was spacious and un-touched by the 'unique' decorating of Kurt.

A rush of relief flooded down through Finn's stomach as he glanced at the barren walls; and he was thrilled to discover a large, empty space in the corner of the room where his drum set would perfectly fit.

"What do you think?" Kurt inquired behind him, practically giddy.

"It's nice." Finn said with honesty, squaring his shoulders and moving into the center of the room, spinning around twice to take in the space. "Bigger than I thought."

Kurt chuckled, "not all things are small in a small town, Finn."

Finn furrowed his brow, taking a silent moment to listen for their parent's footsteps.

 _I guess it's now or never…_

When Finn was certain that Burt and Carole were still outside, presumably beginning the unloading process from the trailer, Finn took a few steps toward Kurt and lowered his voice to a mumble.

"Kurt are you okay with this?" He asked, gesturing around the room for emphasis. "With us moving in and all?"

Kurt blinked once, twice, then a third time before wetting his lips and folding his arms across his chest. He seemed to be in deep thought for a while, sighing heavily before finally responding. "My Dad used to do this awful Elvis impersonation whenever he was in a really good mood. I can remember my Mom rolling her eyes and covering my ears to shield me from the sound, laughing until it was over." Kurt paused to humorously smile, his eyes shining bright, as if reliving the memory sparked a moment of pure bliss within him.

Then Kurt's face fell into a somber frown as if he had never felt happiness before in his life, and the suddenness of the transition caught Finn off-guard. Kurt finished his thought in a whisper, "but when my mom died, he stopped doing it."

Finn swallowed hard at the morbid tone of Kurt's voice, silently nodding in understanding. There were undoubtedly odd, quirky things that his own mom surely had done before his dad had passed away… but Finn wouldn't know what those things were.

Kurt twisted his lips up into a smile, reaching his hand out and placing it gently atop Finn's shoulder. "The night he met your Mom, I heard him singing Jailhouse Rock in the shower."

"So … you like listening to your Dad sing?" Finn asked, still not _entirely_ certain of what point Kurt was trying to get across with his unusually sad story.

"No. It's the absolute _worst_ sound I have ever heard in my life. All of my talents stem from my Mother." Kurt said jokingly, dropping his hand off of Finn's shoulder and folding his arms across his chest once more. "But he's happy again. Do you understand?"

Finn's heart contracted as Kurt stared up at him with a smile that barely disguised his sad lip quiver. Finn could relate to the pained look in Kurt's face; the pain of reliving the memories of a deceased family member.

The familiar, heavy feeling of guilt began to weigh down around Finn as he realized the one link that held Kurt, Carole, Burt, and himself all together; loss. They all felt the same pain and they all held the same emptiness within them that they all longed to fill. And, as much as it pained him to accept, they all _deserved_ to fill that emptiness…

"Yeah." Said Finn after a long silent span. "Yeah, I get it."

Kurt bowed his head forward then took a step back, spinning his way out of the bedroom. Finn stared after him, gnawing on the inside of his cheek.


	2. Fitting In

The days leading up to Friday had crept by without incident – much to Finn's surprise – and the adjustment to living with Kurt and Burt in the new house hadn't been nearly as challenging as Finn had foreseen. For the most part Finn was able to keep strictly to himself; he woke up early, left for school before anyone was able to catch sight of him, then came home and worked on schoolwork while adamantly avoiding 'family dinner time' every evening. So far, this lonely arrangement had given Finn a great deal of time to beat on his drum set and keep in consistent contact with his friends back in Michigan; but, despite being what he wanted, Finn consistently felt a pang of remorse for his insistence upon remaining unresponsive and uncommunicative with the other members of his _household_ – especially Carole.

On Thursday, as he sat in his room and listened to Burt, Carole, and Kurt laughing from the downstairs kitchen, Finn had internally debated upon if it was time to forgive his mother and accept the fate of his new permanent residence. In the end, however, he still couldn't shake the feeling that is was simply _too_ soon for any pardoning of blame. The emotional wounds brought on by their relocating to Ohio still pierced Finn too deeply for him to pretend like he was _okay_ ; and, in reality, it hadn't even been a week yet since their arrival in Lima. Eventually, of course, Finn would come to terms with his situation and he would forgive his mother for tossing his life carelessly into the gutters... but not yet.

On Friday Finn entered the school hallway with a dejected sigh as he recollected the few individual and notable encounters he had experienced in the past few days. Alongside his un-riveting home life Finn's school week had inched by at a depressingly slow rate, and the only interactions he had _actually_ participated in were few and far between.

In fact, to be perfectly precise, there had been exactly _three_ interactions that he could draw upon as notable;

Finn's first non-stimulating encounter had occurred on Tuesday, which had been also been his very first day attending at McKinley High.

 _Finn stood in the hallway, staring down with intimidation upon his new class schedule clasped tightly between his hands, disheartened by the sheer mass of McKinley High. Much like the first time he had walked into his new bedroom, Finn was surprised by the size of his new school. Lima was such a small town – how was it possible that there were enough students to justify a high school of such magnitude?_

 _Finn lifted his gaze up from his schedule as the resounding sound of the first warning bell cried out, and his eyes widened as a sea of students rushed to their pre-determined destinations. The sudden scramble of people flying past Finn's body made it impossible for him to stop and ask anyone for directions to his first class, and the few attempts he had made fell on deaf ears._

 _When the chaotic wave eventually subsided Finn was relieved to find one remaining person, aside from himself, standing still in the now quiet hallway. She was a short, brunette haired girl in a tiny pencil skirt, and she was staring deeply at the array of photographs plastered onto the inside of her locker's red door._

 _With a sigh of relief Finn walked up behind the small girl and murmured, "Hey, could you help me?" The suddenness of his voice caused her to slam the locker door shut while whipping wildly around, her dark brown eyes wide with uncertainty. Finn held out a cautioned hand and winced, "Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you."_

 _She softened at his words and smiled sheepishly. "Oh, no. It's not your fault. Sometimes I zone out when I speak to Barbara."_

 _Finn pressed his lips into a hard line. "Is… Barbara your Mom?"_

" _Streisand." She hurriedly corrected, holding her books to her chest and swaying back onto her heels. When Finn showed little to no reaction, she pressed, "What can I assist you with?"_

" _I'm looking for my calculus class," he said, shifting his bag onto his left shoulder and bending forward to show her his schedule. "I guess it's in room two-eleven."_

" _Two hundred and eleven," she repeated aloud while leaning in and pointing to the mini-map at the corner of his schedule, searching with busy eyes. As they stood, waiting for her to locate the room, the crown of her head brushed softly against the bottom of Finn's cheek, and he was suddenly engulfed up into the flowery, comforting scent of her hair._

" _Ok, you'll go up these stairs, make a left here, and it's the third door on the right. You can't miss the teacher, Mrs. Hagberg. Some of her students believe that she resembles a small, elderly troll… but I personally try to avoid putting labels on people who are uncontrollably yet physically unappealing. I think in today's society we should all be accepting of each other's misfortunes, despite how dreary and unpleasant they may be. Don't you agree?"_

 _Finn furrowed his brow and glanced up from his map to offer the rambling girl an amused smile. He was taken aback by her words as they tumbled at an impressive speed from her full, precious lips, and it took him a moment to digest the entire spiel._

" _Wait, does she really look like a troll?" He finally inquired, making his way through her maze of words._

 _The girl raised her hands defensively up into the air and released a small, single giggle, "I don't participate in judgement!" She then lowered her voice, as if she were about to share a secret, "But if I did, then yes, I'd have to agree with popular opinion."_

 _Their gazes locked and Finn watched with intrigue as her round, large doe-eyes softly fastened onto his._

 _She was an exceptionally pretty girl with several notable features; she had a large nose, sun-kissed skin, striking bone structure, severely straight bangs… it was an odd combination of several imperfect things that fell together to create a very beautiful face._

 _The silent, empty hallway echoed with the final one-minute warning bell and Finn broke their trance by glancing back toward the stairway._

" _Well, thanks," he breathed, the corner of his mouth bending upward to form a small half-smile._

 _The girl opened her mouth as if she was going to say something more, then slammed her lips together and nodded before turning and fading away in the opposite direction._

The second peculiar interaction was on Wednesday when he had encountered the Varsity Cheerleading coach for the first time.

 _Finn turned the last corner from the hallway before entering into the gymnasium, his eyes locked heavily onto his cellphone as he read through the 3-page-long text message he had just received from Kat. As he re-read the last line, "_ **I'll never give up on us, Finny** _", he ran straight into the arm of an older woman, causing her to fling her tiny pink journal onto the ground._

 _Finn's jaw dropped in surprise as he scrambled to pick up her belonging, surprised to see the writing on the cover that read "_ See The World Not As It Is, But As It Should Be _", then he straightened and handed the book back to her with sincerely apologetic eyes. He was shocked to discover the sneer now plastered across her long face as she glared down her narrow nose onto his person, profusely judging him._

" _I'm so sorry, ma'am, I didn't see you." He stammered, willing himself not to stare at her unappealing, bright red jumpsuit._

" _What do you mean you didn't see –" She stopped abruptly as her eyes looked Finn up and down, and she pursed her lips. "My god, you have the gangliest set of ostrich legs I have ever seen."_

 _Finn's jaw did a series of pushups as he attempted to swallow the insult._

 _Before he could reply, she continued. "What's your official name, Jolly Green Giant?"_

" _Finn Hudson…"_

 _She flipped her pink journal open, pulled a pen from her pocket, and scribbled something aggressively while eyeing him suspiciously. When she was finished writing she slammed the journal shut with one hand and said, "Got it, Lerch."_

 _She then walked off, leaving Finn in a wave of confusion._

And the last notable interaction had been on Thursday in the cafeteria lunch line.

 _Finn stared down at the abhorrent display of pizza sitting beneath the heating lamps, cringing. It wasn't like Skyline High had had any better options – school lunches were, after all, notoriously nasty – but something about this particular display of pizza sent his stomach rolling. With a wince he reached forward for a prepared bowl of salad, but was cut short by the gentle tapping of a finger atop his shoulder._

 _Finn turned around, surprised to find himself staring into the eyes of a blonde girl in a Cheerio's uniform, who was slowly blinking up at him with a blank expression. After a moment she asked, slowly and loudly, "Are you the new Asian exchange student?"_

 _Finn's eyes widened momentarily at the inquiry, and he opened his mouth to answer._

" _Brittany, he's White." Said a boy in a wheelchair, rolling up behind the blonde Cheerio._

" _Asian people can be white, Artie." Retorted the blonde cheerleader, pausing to point up toward the small girl standing innocently in line in front of Finn, "I mean, just look at Tina."_

" _I'm tan!" The small girl spat, glancing back at the blonde cheerleader with a fierce glare._

" _No, Tina, Mercedes is tan." The blonde cheerleader corrected, hooking her thumb over her shoulder and gesturing toward the girl with the large, purple t-shirt that read "DIVA" across the front._

" _Oh hell no." The Diva-attired girl warned, raising her finger up into the air and pushing the boy in the wheelchair aside so that she could square up to the blonde cheerleader._

" _Easy, Chocolate Milk, she's kidding." A brunette cheerleader purred while stepping in-between the blonde Cheerio and the fuming Diva. She then shot the Diva a wide, fake smile, calming the rising tensions between them._

 _Finn felt himself reactively flinch as the brunette Cheerio's piercing, dark brown eyes darted aggressively up at him. "Keep movin', Gigantor!" She hissed, causing Finn to jump. She then glanced back toward the Diva's lunch plate and sighed loudly. "'Cedes, give me half of your tots, you don't need that many."_

 _Finn broke out of the lunch line just before hearing the Diva slap the brunette cheerleader's hand away from her plate while yelling, "Santana, I will break your twig ass in half!"_

Finn felt an amused smile creep up onto his lips as he made his way down the hallway, remembering the three strange encounters he had experienced in the past week. In hindsight, these encounters had done nothing but assured Finn that both Lima and McKinley High School were filled to the brim with an assortment of quirky, odd characters.

But, as Carole always said, Finn needed to surround himself with unique people…

 _Thanks for moving us into the land of unique people, Mom…_ Finn thought sarcastically to himself.

Though, in honesty, Finn was drifting through today in a slightly better mood than days previously past; for he knew that at the end of _this_ particular day he would be playing football again. And football – though occasionally brutish and painful – was the only place where Finn felt normal and safe.

As he made his way toward his locker, moving past the mingling bodies scattered throughout the hallway, Finn walked past Kurt and nodded to him in a courteous acknowledgement. Kurt offered a small, sad smile back up at him, moving in the opposite direction, and the empty smile left Finn with an instant twinge of shame. Kurt and Finn hadn't spoken much since the day Finn and Carole had arrived, and Finn certainly hadn't gone out of his way to engage Kurt in any conversations. While at school the duo rarely encountered one another, and at home – well – Finn rarely left his bedroom…

When Finn arrived at his locker he thrust the door outward, collected his Calculus book, then shut it and glanced back down the hallway toward Kurt, who was now seen rummaging busily into his own locker.

Today Kurt was adorned in a white button up sweater, tight black jeans, and a pair of high, slightly heeled, pointed white shoes. (If Finn had to put a name to the shoes, he would have called them "clown shoes" but he was certain that that was _not_ the terminology that Kurt would have approved of.) Kurt certainly wasn't being flashy with his attire today, but he certainly was not hiding who or what he was…

 _Damnit, I really should go talk to him… maybe apologize…_

As Finn silently contemplated, a large Jock clad in a varsity jacket stumbled his way over to Kurt and shoved the small boy into the row of locker's behind him with a brutish force. In reaction, Kurt crumbled painfully against the outside of his locker and slid slowly down it as he clutched his right elbow in anguish.

Finn dropped his book and rushed forward, slapping his hand down against the Jock's shoulder while forcing him to turn around.

"What the hell was that!?" Inquired Finn in exasperation.

"Finn don't – " Kurt began to plead.

"Who's this? Your new boyfriend?" The Jock chuckled, cutting Kurt off and eyeing Finn slowly.

"Don't talk to him like that!" Finn warned.

"Or what, Prince Charming? You gonna save the Princess?" The Jock countered, gesturing towards Kurt.

As their encounter grew more and more hostile Finn became fully aware of a crowd beginning to form around them, caging their tense rendezvous within a small arena.

"Dude _what_ is your problem?" Finn asked, instinctively balling his hands into fists at his sides.

" _You're_ my problem now!" The Jock then lunged forward, reaching for Finn's neck with his left hand while forming a tight fist with his right. Finn dodged the simultaneous grasp and punch, bending forward and throwing his shoulder into the Jock's midriff, plummeting them both onto the ground in a swinging brawl.

The crowd around them began to holler and chant "fight, fight, fight!"; but before any real harm could be done a pair of large, rough hands grabbed both boys by the collars of their shirts and forcefully pulled them apart.

"ENOUGH!" A gruff, booming voice echoed throughout the hallway.

The crowd dispersed immediately and Finn noticed the fleeing students glancing back over their shoulders with mild fear.

Finn squared his shoulders back as the strong hand released him, and he pulled at the hem of his shirt in an effort to straighten the wrinkles and kinks from his tattered clothes.

"Listen sir – ", Finn began, glancing up and falling short for words as he noticed a tall, stalky woman with arms as thick as Finn's legs staring down upon him, "- _Ma'am_ …"

"He started it!" The bullying Jock interjected, pointing an accusatory finger towards Finn.

"Are you kidding me!?" Finn bellowed back.

The large woman glanced at the Jock, clearly unamused, and commanded, "Get to class Karofsky!" She then turned her attention back onto Finn and quirked an eyebrow. "What's your name, kid?"

"Finn Hudson." Mumbled Finn.

She reached around and pulled a clipboard from the back of her pants, searching down a list of names and twisting her lips into a quizzical line. "The same Finn Hudson who transferred from Skyline High and is trying out for my football team this afternoon?"

"I don't really know that many guys with the same name as me, so… yeah?" Replied Finn, shifting his eyes in confusion.

"I'm coach Beiste. You've clearly got some great reflexes and you sure are fast on your feet." She started while dropping the clipboard back down to her side and narrowing her eyes, apparently referring to Finn's abilities in the fight. "Still, that's not exactly how I like to see my players interacting."

Finn stood silently, slowly digesting all of the information she had thrown at him in her few, short sentences. _This_ was the varsity football coach? He had never seen or heard of a woman being a football coach before.

 _And, more importantly…_

" _He's_ on the football team?" Finn finished his inquiry aloud, disturbed by the thought of having the bulky, bullying Jock as his team mate.

"One of the best we've got." Coach Beiste said with a shrug. "See you after school."

Finn watched her leave, still swallowing down the reality that she would be his new football coach.

Before the big move from Michigan to Ohio, Finn had searched the McKinley High website in hopes of learning more about their football record and roster. He recalled reading the name 'Kenneth Tanaka' beneath the title Head Coach – and yet, that apparently was no longer the case.

As if he was capable of reading the thoughts racing around within Finn's mind a small, familiar voice sounded off at Finn's left shoulder.

"She was hired over the summer break." Kurt said, handing Finn his previously dropped calculus book with a small smile. "Thank you."

Finn returned the small smile, receiving the book and shuffling his feet slowly forward. "Don't mention it."

"No – really… nobody ever stands up to him." Kurt pressed, falling into step alongside Finn. "Nobody ever sticks up for _me_."

Finn clenched his jaw, disturbed by the sadness that seeped from Kurt's voice. A heavy guilt crept up into his stomach as he recollected the handful of times that he had watched Zach and Jacob pick on and make fun of the _different_ kids at Skyline High.

They walked together in silence, drawing in several curious stares from students within the hallway and along the stairway, until Kurt finally stopped and pointed towards an open classroom door. "Well, this is my class. See ya."

"Kurt wait," Finn commanded, causing Kurt to glance up at him with curious, cautioned eyes. "I'm sorry for being… distant. This isn't very easy for me."

"I know," Said Kurt, bowing his head forward, "Besides, it's not like I'm not _used_ to being ignored and occasionally pushed around."

Finn flinched. Here he stood, complaining about how _moving to a different city_ was hard for him to handle, meanwhile Kurt was busy journeying through a life full of constant judgement and bullying.

Suddenly feeling an uncontrollable wave of inspiration, Finn blurted out, "You shouldn't let people push you around just because you're… y'know. _You_."

A group of girls in Cheerio's uniforms shifted their way around Finn and Kurt, glancing at Finn with raised eyebrows as they walked into the classroom.

"Oh, Finn," Kurt said with an almost apathetic smile, "You are _not_ going to fit in around here."

* * *

The familiar feeling of shoulder pads weighing down around Finn's neck brought a prideful puff back into his chest. For the first time since their arrival in Ohio he felt like himself, and the excitement and laughter that filled the locker room enhanced his energy.

Nothing was going to ruin his try-outs today; he had this in the bag.

"Oh look, it's the fag's knight in shining armor!"

Finn, who had been busy tightening up the laces of his cleats, glanced sideways to take in the image of Karofsky shadowed by two other padded-up players. Finn's jaw tensed as he sized the trio up and down, discomforted by the certainty that he wouldn't fair well if the conversation turned physical.

With a heavy sigh Finn straightened, dropping his foot to the ground with a loud clap. The locker room fell silent as all eyes landed on Finn and Karofsky, and the once positive and excited energy drained instantly from the room.

Before Finn could respond another fully-uniformed player with a short, fluffy Mohawk stepped forward, pressing the palm of his hand aggressively into Karofsky's chest pad.

"Shove it up your ass, Karofsky!" The Mohawk player challenged.

"Stay out of this, Puckerman." Warned Karofsky, shoving the Mohawk player's hand away.

"That's not what your mom said last night." Mohawk retorted with a sly grin, causing Finn to fight off an amused smile as it threatened to twist across his lips.

Karofsky then lunged impulsively toward Puckerman, but was caught short as a larger player – one of his two shadowing friends - grabbed at his arm and held him back. Karofsky struggled instinctively against his friend, his eyes now seething with hatred.

"Easy man! Remember what Coach said!" Karofsky's friend reminded, easing up on his hold of Karofsky as the bulky Jock began to calm down.

Puckerman grinned, folding his arms across his chest in victory.

The casual notion infuriated Karofsky further, causing the Jock to point a cautionary finger into Puckerman's face. "We'll settle this later."

"I can stop by your room tonight if you want." Puckerman shrugged, caving his right shoulder into the wall of lockers beside him and leaning casually against it. "Y'know, after your mom and I are all finished up."

Karofsky swung a punch into the locker alongside Puckerman's head in anger, sending a loud, echoing bang throughout the room. He then turned and stalked his way grumpily out toward the football field as his his two lackey's following closely behind him.

The locker room slowly filled with murmurs and chuckles as everyone turned their attention back onto more important matters.

"Finn," Finn said, offering an open-palmed hand out towards the boy with the Mohawk.

"Puck," the boy replied, clasping Finn's hand and straightening his weight off of the lockers. "Rumor has it you're a pretty good quarterback."

Finn wiggled his eyebrows up and down in surprise, astonished to know that someone at McKinley High had even the slightest knowledge of who he was; aside from, of course, the misconception that he was the new Asian exchange student.

"We'll see." He breathed, bending back forward to finish the interrupted task of tightening his cleats.

"I'm your center, Karofsky is your left guard." Continued Puck, grabbing up his helmet and fastening it below his arm. "He's probably going to let you get sacked at least once, so I'd hang right if I were you."

Finn paused to peer up at Puck, then nodded with a small smile. "Thanks for the tip."

Puck reached forward and pat Finn's shoulder, then turned and exited the locker room.

* * *

Finn gasped in a long, desperate breath of air as he winced up toward the afternoon's clear blue sky. He was taken aback as the familiar smell of a flowery, comforting perfume floated back into his memory as he momentarily drifted in and out consciousness.

 _Isn't that the scent of that girl's hair…?_

Finn's stomach rolled as he steadied his interrupted breathing and his body began to tingle as the blood rushed back into his fingers and toes. It had all happened so fast; in one moment Puck had snapped him the ball, and in the next moment Finn was on his back, choking for air as a large defensive lineman slowly lifted himself up off of Finn's chest.

In his 10 short years of football experience Finn had never been rocked _this_ hard, and there was absolutely _no way_ that this particular sack hadn't been a planned execution by Karofsky. Finn had been fully expecting something like that to happen; but he hadn't anticipated the impact to jolt him so efficiently.

 _What the hell!?_

"What the HELL KAROFSKY!?" Beiste screamed from the sideline, jarring Finn back into reality as she brought life to his silent inquiry.

Karofsky stifled a laugh, hiding a small high-five shared between himself and the defensive player that squished Finn, then turned and hollered back, "Sorry Coach, he slipped by."

"Slipped!?" Beiste repeated, chucking her clipboard into the grass and throwing her hands to her hips. "You didn't even try to block him! Run it again!"

Finn pulled himself up onto his rear, shaking his head slowly back and forth in an effort to shake his scattered senses back into cue. As he drew up onto his feet he hooked his hand around Sam Evans' arm, pulling the shaggy-haired blonde into full attention. Sam, who had introduced himself to Finn as the wide receiver when they had taken the field, quirked a curious eyebrow.

"Look, I don't know all of the names for your plays yet, but… I'm throwing across the middle." Finn mumbled, releasing Sam's arm and shrugging.

"That's … totally not what coach wants." Sam blurted out.

"Yeah, I know…" Finn said, twisting his neck to the side in pain, "But that's where _I'm_ throwing it, so you can either catch it or not."

Sam pursed his huge, puffy lips, peering over toward coach Beiste on the sideline, then nodded and made his way over to his position.

Finn drew in a long, deep breath through his nose then lined up behind Puckerman, glancing briefly to the left to catch Karofsky smirking to the defensive lineman. The ball snapped up into Finn's fingers and he reactively shimmied to the right, dodging the rushing defensive player, then he lobbed the ball up and over the cluster of players down the center of the field. Finn held his breath as he watched Sam dart forward with outstretched arms, and a smile spread wide across Finn's face as Sam captured the ball within his arms and rushed forward into the end zone.

In reaction, Puck turned around and slapped Finn across the helmet with excitement. "Dude, that was awesome! I mean, Coach is going to _totally_ kill you… but that was awesome!"

Puck then turned to face Karofsky, who steamed with anger while listening to Puck's enthusiastic bellowing, and yelled, "Suck it, Karofsky!"

* * *

As practice came to a successful end, Finn tugged his helmet free from his head and slapped the back of his hand across his glistening forehead to remove the clinging, sweaty strands of hair from his skin. He nodded and smiled as the other players passed by, each one knocking him on the shoulder pads in an accepting gesture. Of course, Karofsky and his two hulking buddies had not joined in on the welcoming committee, but Finn could hardly be bothered by that.

Coach Beiste waited until all of the other players had dispersed toward the locker rooms before she approached Finn, and he winced in anticipation as she wet her lips and hugged her clip board against her chest. She was silent for a while, staring at him with critical eyes that caused Finn to shift uncomfortably from one foot onto the other.

"Cleat up on Monday, Hudson." She finally said with a smile. Finn pumped his fist victoriously into the air, then brought it back down to composure as Coach Beiste dropped her smile into a frown and lowered her voice to warn, "But don't pull that play-changing crap on me again when I _specifically_ tell you to run one."

Finn swallowed hard and nodded, "Absolutely, Coach. Got it."

He watched as Coach Beiste walked away, biting down on his lip to contain the joyful cheering that bubbled up within him. For the first time since arriving in Lima he felt actual _joy_ … and, for the first time since arriving in Lima, he actually felt like he might stand a change at fitting in.

"Pretty impressive stuff out there." A soft voice, as gentle and delicate as a dove coo, sounded from behind him.

Finn twisted around on his heel, caught off-guard by a small blonde girl in a Cheerio's uniform smiling up at him with her arms folded tightly across her chest. She was an astonishingly stunning girl; she had pale skin, bright green eyes, small glossy lips, and a perfect, little nose…

Finn smiled at, arguably, the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, and became uncomfortably aware of how dirty and gross he undoubtedly appeared in that moment. With a nervous chuckle he murmured, "Thanks."

The girl dropped her arms from her chest and took a few steps toward Finn, moving close enough now for her stray strands of hair to appear visible to him. "Looks like coach Beiste found herself a new quarterback?"

"Yeah." Finn said with a shrug, his hand tightening around his helmet as she began to move closer.

"Well then, how about you pick me up tomorrow night at seven and we will go to Breadstix together to celebrate." She finally stopped, reaching out and clasping her fingers around his wrist. The softness of her skin caused Finn to gulp – loudly – and he watched with interest as she placed a small piece of paper into the palm of his hand. "That's my address, don't lose it."

"Uh – okay?" Stammered Finn, receiving the small note and staring down at it with bewilderment. His ears twitched as the sound of grass shifting below the girl's feet signaled to him that she was beginning to softly walk away, and his eyes flicked up in a panic. "Wait, what is your _name_?"

She paused in her escape and turned her head over her left shoulder to peer back at him from the side of her face, a smile painted across her glossy lips. "Quinn. Quinn Fabray."

Finn watched as Quinn crossed the field and joined up with two other Cheerio cheerleaders who patiently waited for her at the bottom of the bleachers. As he stood, finally alone, he was now fully aware of his heart racing rapidly within his chest. This was shaping up to be a pretty _great_ Friday…

Finn looked back down at the small paper within his hand, pressing his lips tightly together as he re-read the scribbled address. His eyebrows then furrowed as he recalled Quinn's peculiar invitation and he wondered aloud, "What's a _Breadstix_ …?"

* * *

 **A/N:** I made Sam a wide receiver, even though I know he wasn't. I know, I know, _shame on me_.


	3. Girls

Finn awoke on Saturday morning with an aching, screaming soreness that resonated throughout his entire body.

As his eyes slowly and un-eagerly peeked open Finn gently shifted his way over toward the edge of his bed, reluctantly throwing his feet onto the carpeted floor and easing his torso up into a sitting position. He let out a long, drawn-out moan of pain as his arms spread wide, feeling like damaged wings hanging loosely from his shoulders. He swiveled his head back and forth, listening to each stiff chord as they snapped and cracked at the back of his neck, then Finn slowly pressed his feet into the ground and drew himself up into a throbbing stance.

Once Finn felt stretched-out and nimble enough to move he leisurely made his way over toward the exit of his bedroom while tugging a thin t-shirt over the top of his head. As he moved, ignoring his muscle's persistent protests, he silently promised himself that _one day_ Karofsky would pay for the perpetual beating Finn had received during his tryouts.

Finn tugged gently at the handle of his bedroom door, swinging it open to find Kurt making his way down the hallway toward his own bedroom.

"Morning…" Finn called out in hoarse greeting, reaching his hand up and rubbing away the sleep that had collected at the corner of his left eye.

Kurt paused in his journey and peered back at Finn with a quirked eyebrow, tapping at his empty wrist with an amused smile. "It's three in the afternoon."

"Wh-what?" Inquired Finn, glancing behind him toward his small alarm clock that proudly displayed **3:07** in large green a moan, Finn caved his right shoulder heavily against the door frame and wiggled his jaw back and forth to release the rising tension within his mouth. "How did I sleep in that late?"

"Carole wanted to wake you up at nine, but I told her you had a rough night." Kurt's blue-green eyes darted onto the exposed skin of Finn's left forearm and he focused intensely upon the flesh with unwavering interest. "Evidently your night was rougher than I thought. Is this 'Kat' person capable of reaching through Skype calls and punching you?"

Finn glanced at his arm, following Kurt's gaze, and flushed at the sight of the large purple bruise painted across his bicep. "Er – _no_ , I got sacked a few times in tryouts…" He then flicked his eyes back onto Kurt as his heart plummeted into his stomach, "Hold on, could you hear _all_ of our conversation last night?"

At eleven o'clock on Friday night Finn's laptop screen lit up, displaying the options to either answer or ignore a Skype call from Katherine. There was a hesitant moment where Finn contemplated simply shutting the computer down and avoiding the inevitable drama that would accompany their conversation, but their relationship track-record bubbled up a guilty compassion within him; and, before he had the chance to sway the tide, Katherina had lassoed Finn into a five-hour long video conversation.

Unfortunately for Finn it had _not_ been five hours of pleasant conversation. Instead, Katherine furiously demanded to know all about "this Quinn girl" that Finn was planning on going to dinner with, and she jealously devoted the rest of the Skype call to convincing Finn that she was the only girl he would ever need. Finn, on the other hand, felt it was necessary to constantly (yet gently) remind Katherine that they were no longer a couple… and that was _around_ the time when the loud, over-dramatic crying and pleading began to surface.

"Only the crying at four in the morning," Said Kurt at length, glancing at his cuticles and frowning. He then snapped his eyes back up onto Finn with an entertained smirk, "Which I _presume_ was from this Kat person, but I won't judge if it was really you."

Finn snorted, amused. "I'm sorry you had to listen to that. She's… difficult."

"' _Cest la vie_ , this is exactly why I don't date girls, Finn." Kurt said with a wink, then disappeared into his bedroom and shut the door quietly behind him.

Finn smiled to himself, making his way down the short flight of stairs toward the living quarters of the house.

A familiar smell wafted up into his nostrils as he stumbled down toward the bottom step, causing Finn to glance curiously up into the kitchen. He was shocked to find both his mother and Burt working busily within; each one devoted to their separate chef-like tasks. Burt, who had once mentioned to Finn that he was only versed in "cooking toasted bread", was chopping an onion with a towel draped dramatically across his right shoulder. Carole, on the other hand, was actively stirring a boiling pot above the oven with her short brown hair clipped back behind her ears and a long chef's apron tied loosely around her waist. The cooking duo was happily engaged in a cheerful, light hearted conversation while joking and flirting their way around the small kitchen.

Carole's sudden, loud guffaw brought a smile to Finn's lips as he watched his mother wipe a laughter-induced tear away from her cheek. He couldn't recall a time when his mother appeared to be this happy, and the joy within her eyes sent a sharp inner conviction spiraling down into Finn's gut.

He gnawed nervously on the inside of his cheek, internally debating upon whether or not he should enter the kitchen; his voluntary absence over the past week had left him in an unknowing state of how the encounter would play out between the three of them. Was he ready to forgive his mother already? Was he ready to play 'house' with Kurt and Burt? Was he ready to forgive his mother for this horrific experience that had shaken his world to the core?

 _It's time to forgive._

Finn walked slowly into the kitchen, his feet receiving a shocking jolt as they pressed into the cold, white tiles, and Carole's eyes snapped onto him with an immediate excitement. Finn offered her a small, diffident smile.

"Oh hi there, sleepy!" Said Carole, grinning from ear-to-ear. "I'm making meatloaf for dinner."

Finn made his way across the kitchen, passing softly in-between his mother and Burt, then halted his journey just before the refrigerator. "I… won't be here for dinner."

Finn could hear Carole shuffle behind him and set her ladle down upon the counter. There was a silent span where he could sense both Burt and Carole exchanging confused and curious looks.

"Where are you going?" She finally asked, her voice hiking slightly.

"Out." Finn mumbled, opening the fridge and retrieving a bright red apple from the lower bin. As he straightened, pausing to take a large, juicy bite from the fruit, he could feel his mother's eyes drilling into the back of his head. He leisurely slid into one of the dining room chairs and shifted his eyes from his mother, to Burt, then back onto his mother.

"But… I'm making _meatloaf_." Carole repeated, gesturing towards the oven as if Finn hadn't comprehended what she had said before. "Y'know, meatloaf, your favorite meal since you were a little kid?"

Finn ran his tongue across the front of his teeth, fully aware of both Burt and his mother's eyes staring heavily down upon him.

"I've… got a date," He stammered, taking another loud bite from the apple and wiping the juices free from the corner of his mouth. Finn's eyes then wandered onto the floor and he furrowed his brow with deep contemplation. "I _think_."

Kurt landed theatrically at the bottom of the stairs with a loud thud, causing everyone in the kitchen to glance over toward him. Finn watched silently as Kurt made his way happily into the center of the room and slid onto the chair beside him, offering Burt, Carole, and Finn a small smile as he moved. Kurt then scooped up the Vogue magazine sitting stilly at the corner of the dining room table and leisurely opened it up to the first page.

Without missing a beat, Kurt casually inquired, "Who's the lucky girl?"

"Uh…" Finn stuttered, disappointed that Kurt was similarly curious about his evening plans. "Quinn Fabray."

Kurt's face distorted into a wide-eyed cringe.

"You _think_ it's a date? How do you _not_ know if it's a date or not?" Burt finally interjected, clearly feeling that it was due time for him to insert himself into the conversation.

"Well she kinda just… told me to pick her up at seven and take her to dinner." Finn mumbled, flushing.

Burt wiggled his bushy eyebrows then turned his attention back onto the half-chopped onion, slicing the knife gently down into the cutting board. "Sounds like a date to me!"

"Sounds like desperation to me." Kurt mumbled into his magazine, burying his face heavily into it.

"What was that?" Finn asked, quirking an eyebrow and turning his full attention back onto Kurt.

"Nothing!" Said Kurt with a smile, glancing up for a second. His smile was wide and _obviously_ fake, causing Finn's stomach to sourly toss. "Have fun!"

* * *

Finn pulled up to Quinn Fabray's house at exactly seven o'clock.

Before Finn had the chance to get out of his truck and tensely walk up to the front door to retrieve Quinn, she was already gliding quickly across the driveway and floating her way down to where he had pulled his car to a stop. Finn nervously felt Quinn's mother's eyes watching him with distaste from the front door of her home, examining the way Finn opened the passenger-side door for her daughter and offered her a polite hand while she entered his car.

Finn suggested that he go say 'hello' to Quinn's mother, but Quinn was quick to shut his offer down and instead insisted that they hastily be on their way. Finn hesitantly pushed the car into drive, informally waving in greeting to Quinn's mother as they traveled slowly away; though Quinn's mother did not return the wave.

As they made their way to the unusually-named restaurant Finn silently examined Quinn's simple, white sundress that appeared far less aggressive than the red Cheerio's uniform she had been displayed in the day before. In fact, her overall look seemed to be far more approachable today, and he couldn't quite put his finger on what made her seem more congenial; perhaps it was the gentle, pink cardigan draped across her fair shoulders, or the way that her soft, blonde hair fell in ringlets around her neck. Either way, Finn felt _far_ more comfortable with _this_ Quinn than he had felt with the Quinn who had marched confidently up to him after his football tryouts and insisted that he accompany her to dinner.

The car ride was mostly full of an uncomfortably awkward silence between them, but Quinn fortunately lived a mere seven minutes away from the local Breadstix.

When they arrived at the restaurant Finn was happily greeted by the delicious smells of savory Italian food; the wafting, mingling scents of spicy pasta, fresh bread sticks, and gooey lasagna dancing throughout the building. Finn's stomach responsively grumbled, louder than he would have expected, angrily reminding him that he had only eaten an apple for the entirety of his short, sleep-filled day.

As they followed the waitress to their private booth Finn's eyes locked onto several familiar faces belonging to fellow McKinley High students; each one watching both he and Quinn with unshakeable interest and confusion.

Quinn appeared amused and pleased by the vast array of attention, whereas Finn felt suspiciously uneasy.

 _First Kurt, now all of these people…_

Once their food was ordered and their drinks had been served Finn relaxed his back against the cushiony support of his seat and cautiously brought his attention up onto Quinn, who was sitting straight and pretty in the booth across from him.

"So," She began, folding her manicured hands together on the top of the table, "Tell me all about yourself, Finn."

The smooth, velvety rhythm of Quinn's voice sent the hairs at the back of Finn's neck up into a standing position.

"I… play football." Finn started, sliding his soda pop closer to his lips and taking in a long, drawn-out sip from the straw. Quinn's blank, cold stare urged him to continue, so he hurriedly added in, "And drums."

Quinn, surprisingly, appeared slightly more interested at the mention of drums; but she quickly masked her curiosity and pursed her lips instead. "How do you like Lima so far?"

Finn was silent for a moment, privately digesting the question. Up until yesterday he had felt nothing but dislike for Lima; he disliked the school, disliked the people, disliked the size, and disliked the funny little names for all of the stores and commercial buildings sprinkled throughout the town. And yet, as yesterday had rolled to a resounding end, something within Finn began to change his opinion, pulling him into a more amiable attitude toward Lima.

"I don't know." He said finally, at length. "I miss Lansing. I miss… _some_ of my friends." He emphasized heavily on the 'some', for his recent skirmish with Kat still left an unshakeable and bitter taste within the back of his mouth.

"You'll make friends here! You've got me… and soon all of the guys on the football team will be your friends." Quinn said with certainty, unfolding her hands and taking a sip of water.

Finn watched her, curiously examining the way she now proudly glanced about the restaurant; her eyes landing carefully and calculating upon each student seated around them. Finn was familiar with the way Quinn held herself and looked down upon other people, for it was very similar to the way that most of the popular girls at Skyline High always moved about the school; arrogantly and cautiously.

"What about you? Tell me about Quinn Fabray." Finn pressed, pulling her back from her distant glances.

"I'm sure Kurt has told you all about me." Said Quinn with a fake smile, bringing her eyes back onto him and straightening.

Finn winced as he recalled the look on Kurt's face when Finn had announced that he was meeting with Quinn earlier that day.

"Kurt and I don't really talk." He resolved, causing Quinn's face to cave with disappointment.

"Oh. Well, I'm the head Cheerio and the most popular girl in school." Said Quinn, plainly. "Last year I made some mistakes, but I'm en route to clearing all of that up."

"Mistakes?" Finn echoed, glancing down at his soda glass and realizing with astonishment that it was already almost empty.

"I… I want to be honest with you, Finn. You'll find out eventually, so…" Quinn started, trailing off as Finn plucked the straw from his glass and tipped the cup up onto his lips in an attempt to capture the last bit of liquid hiding beneath the crushed ice. "I… had a baby."

Finn choked into his glass, spilling a frozen wave of ice and soda down the front of his shirt.

"Oh – " He coughed, "W-wow. Well you look great, for being a mom!"

Finn frantically reached for his napkin, patting the front of his shirt down while internally absorbing the information he had just forcibly received.

"I'm not Beth's mom. Not anymore." Quinn said calmly, offering him her napkin. Once Finn had sopped up most of the moisture from his clothes he looked up at her, wincing awkwardly. Quinn then quirked her eyebrow and slowly uttered, "Wow, Kurt really hasn't told you _anything_ , has he?"

"Like I said, we don't really talk."

Their food arrived just as Quinn opened her mouth to speak, and she was cut short by the hot and steaming plates now placed before their faces. The waitress shot Finn a concerned look after glancing down the front of his white and green pin-striped shirt. Finn assured her he was fine, and she left them with several more napkins to compensate for the mess.

The pair ate in silence for a while; Quinn periodically glancing around to survey the other students while leaving Finn with a curious pang of suspicion.

 _What does she want?_

Quinn eventually stopped the passive-aggressive stabbing of her fork into her side salad and narrowed her eyes up towards Finn. "So, you don't know anything about the New Directions?"

Finn chewed slowly down on his spaghetti, glancing nervously back and forth, trying to recall if he had ever heard of such a thing called 'New Directions' before. Defeated by his lack of recollection Finn shook his head back and forth. "Is… that a band?"

Quinn smiled – a real, genuine smile – then dropped her fork onto her plate with a clank. "I like you."

Finn slowly wiped his mouth free from sauce with one of the newer napkins, also setting his fork to the side. His lips curved up into a half-smile at the sight of her authentic grin, though his stomach still felt un-easy by her sharp, unfaltering stare.

"You don't know anything about me." Finn said softly, shrugging his shoulders up and down.

"I know you're handsome," Said Quinn, giggling once as Finn's cheeks began to uncontrollably flush, "And I know that you're going to be the quarterback that turns our school's football record around."

"You really think so?" Finn inquired, a sense of pure doubt hanging heavily within his voice.

Quinn sighed and pushed her plate to the edge of the table, leaning forward to engage Finn within a more intimate conversation.

"Look, I'll get to the point." She began, lowering her voice in a silky, hushed tone. "I had a really rough sophomore year. This year I'm planning on turning everything around and getting back to the top, where I belong."

"I… thought you were the most popular girl in school?" Finn stammered, leaning absentmindedly away from her.

"I _am_ ," She hissed through gritted teeth, swooping her eyes around to look at all of the students once more, "I just need to remind everyone."

Finn stared at Quinn through narrowed eyes, trying to follow along with her rising tirade.

Quinn softened at the sight of Finn's unsteady expression and she leaned back into her seat with a heavy sigh. "You and I could be a power couple at McKinley. The kind of power couple that wins prom king and queen. The kind of power couple that will help reinstate my reign."

And, there it was.

Finn relaxed his elbows onto the table and leaned forward. "Look, Quinn, I'm flattered… and a little intimidated… but I'm…" He paused, trying to find his words, "I'm not ready to commit to a relationship right now."

Quinn tossed her hair over her right shoulder and mirrored his movements, leaning back in toward him and smiling coyly. "You have a girlfriend back in Lansing, right?"

"No," Said Finn, "This just seems a little… fast." He pointed at her, then hooked his thumb back towards himself for emphasis.

Quinn's face morphed into an expression of shock. "Then why did you agree to going out to dinner with me?"

"You didn't give me much of a choi-"

Quinn reached her hand across the table and clasped Finn's palm, silencing him.

"Just think about it, okay? No rush!" Quinn cooed, running her thumb gently over Finn's and seductively wetting her lips. "I'll wait."

* * *

Finn pressed his fingers tightly against his temples, leaning his elbows into the sides of the truck's steering wheel as he sat in the driveway of his new home.

Dinner had been a long and confusing encounter, leaving him with a fair amount of things to sort through and deal with. Firstly, Quinn was a _mother_. That in itself explained why her own mother was so anxiously watching after her from the door; presumably hoping that her daughter wouldn't rope herself into another unfortunate _predicament_. Secondly, Quinn was undoubtedly _only_ interested in Finn for his potential quarterback status. Thirdly, Quinn had an agenda; date the quarterback, become the most popular and adored girl at McKinley High, and eventually win the reigning title of Junior Prom Queen; and all three of these things, in Quinn's mind, were impossible without Finn's aid.

On one hand, he understood her twisted logic.

 _I mean, isn't it the… sort of… unwritten rule that the head cheerleader and quarterback date?_

He thought to himself, thinking back on how Zach and Jacob had constantly insisted that he try to win over the heart of the head cheerleader from Skyline High – despite the fact that that particular girl already _had_ a long-standing boyfriend. A love affair between the head cheerleader and quarterback seemed the only plausible option in the mind of teenagers…

And yet, on the other hand, he didn't feel _anything_ with Quinn. Sure, she was undeniably beautiful and likable in her own, frightening way… but her heart seemed _cold._ And, unfortunately for Finn, whenever his eyes locked onto Quinn's he couldn't help but feel an unreachable sadness within her that reminded him too greatly of Katherine. But eventually Quinn would expect an answer from him; and unless she somehow proved to be someone other than the person he had met with tonight, Finn couldn't navigate a way for him to agree to be a part of her proposed arrangement.

With that unpleasant realization, Finn let out a long-awaited sigh and dropped his hands from his face, reaching for the driver-side door of the truck.

As he made his way into the living room, closing the front door quietly behind him, Finn was shocked to arrive upon the scene of both Burt and Carole, cuddled tightly together on top of the couch while watching the local news on tv. Carole turned her attention to Finn as soon as the front door shut gently behind him and she leaned up out of Burt's embrace to beam up at her son expectantly.

 _Oh, here it comes…_

"How was your date?" She asked, enthused.

"Oh, _Carole_ , you can't just ask a boy that…" Burt teased, straightening and shooting Finn an apologetic look. "I mean, you could probably ask _Kurt_ those kinds of questions, but he's a separate case."

Finn squared his shoulders and shifted his weight, offering his mother an amused smile.

He was quite accustomed and used to these kinds of questions from Carole; after all, it had only been Finn and his mother (the dynamic duo, as Carole adoringly referred to them) for many, many years. And, for the most part, Carole was always respectful of Finn's time and space; even though every once in a while she would tip-toe into his room and ask him about all about 'girls'. In a way, it was nice for Finn. His mother had always been there for advice and information, lending an ear no matter what the subject matter, and she _truly_ devoted every spare moment in raising Finn as best as she could.

Finn would always respect Carole for raising him without the aid of a father-figure, and that respect _occasionally_ included humoring her silly questions.

Finn opened his mouth to answer, but his ears twitched at the foreign sound of girlish-giggles tumbling down the stairs from the direction of Kurt's bedroom.

"Who's here?" He inquired, bending slightly backwards to glance questioningly out towards the stairs.

"Kurt has a few of his girl friends over for movie night," Said Burt, pausing to lift his tattered ball cap and run a rough hand across his balding, shiny head, "It's kind of their Saturday night tradition."

"Is that… soda all over your shirt?" Carole interjected, squinting her eyes onto Finn's stained clothing.

Finn glanced down at his shirt, pulling it away from his chest to better examine the situation. "Yep," he mumbled awkwardly, shuffling his feet slowly towards the stairs, "I'm gonna go clean up."

"Finn honey," Carole called after him, and he could hear the sound of his mother shifting up off of the couch and creeping her way softly after him.

Finn paused at the base of the stairs, one hand resting loosely against the handrail, and he turned to face her. To his immediate surprise Carole then promptly pulled him up into a gentle hug, holding him lightly against her. Finn reactively folded his arms across his mother's shoulders, pressing the left side of his cheek into the soft, dark hair at the top of her head. He could still vaguely remember a time when he had been shorter than her, but that hadn't been for many, many years.

"Congratulations on making the football team." Carole muttered into his chest, pulling away from him and placing her hands on either sides of his face.

Finn bit down on his tongue, guiltily realizing that he had never told his mother about his tryouts or how his first day of football had been. In truth, he hadn't told Carole _anything_ since they moved to Lima, aside from their brief 'family' conversation in the kitchen earlier that day…

"How did you know?" Asked Finn, swallowing down a fuzzy emotion that prickled against the sides of his eyes.

"Kurt told us." Said Carole, dropping her hands from his face and whispering, "He was very happy for you."

 _News sure travels fast at McKinley._

Finn thought to himself, assuming that Kurt's sources were from someone on the football team… or, perhaps, a Cheerio.

"Well, thanks Mom." Finn half-mumbled, slowly turning away from his mother and beginning to retreat his way up the stairs.

"I love you, Finn." She called gently after him, halting his movements.

Finn turned back around to face her, gripping the handrails tightly while fighting off any emotions that threatened to twist up into his voice, and whispered, "Me too."

* * *

Finn threw his sticky, soda-soaked clothes down onto the bathroom floor and glanced curiously at the radio sitting silently at the corner of the vanity. The radio, belonging to Kurt, seemed like a rather unusual addition to the bathroom; but, on several occasions, Finn had heard Kurt singing and dancing along to the local radio stations top 40 hits while taking a shower or getting ready for school. It seemed a uniquely pleasant way to spend time in the bathroom, no matter what the occasion, and Finn's curiosity began to get the better of him. He slowly reached forward and switched the small radio on, thumbing his way through the stations until he found the local classic rock music.

Def Leppard's 'Pour Some Sugar on Me' was just finishing up as Finn climbed his way slowly into the shower.

The hot water poured down around Finn's hair and ears, splashing down over his chest, arms, and legs into puddles at his cheerfully dancing feet. He grabbed the green soap bar up off of the side of the bathtub and began rubbing up and down his arms as his favorite, memorable tune began to play on the radio. Finn paused his scrubbing and smiled wide, bobbing his head back and forth as Journey's 'Faithfully' began to burst through the radio's tiny speakers.

Before he could convince himself otherwise Finn began to belt out the lyrics into his soap bar, singing along with Steve Perry.

"Highway run into the midnight sun, wheels go 'round and 'round, you're on my mind," he paused to take a breath, preparing to belt out the next lines as he held the soap bar closer to his mouth, "Restless hearts sleep alone tonight, sending all my love along the wire," he shut his eyes tightly together, belting his heart out even louder than before, "they say that the road ain't no place to start a family..."

Finn continued to sing, but his eyes shot open as the sounds of an unfamiliar voice chimed in along with him.

"… Right down the line it's been you and me, and lovin' a music man ain't always what it's supposed to be…"

Finn was now absolutely certain that someone else was singing along with Steve Perry and himself. He silently waited for the next line, anticipating what he might hear…

"Oh, _boy_ , you stand by me…"

Finn nervously pulled back the curtain just enough for his right eye to peek out past the safety of the shower, and a dramatic yell escaped from his lips as the small, brown haired girl from the school hallway stared eagerly back at him.

"Who the – what the – _get out_!" Finn yelled, accidentally dropping the bar of soap onto the bathtub floor with a loud bang.

"You have an _amazing_ pitch! It syncs so perfectly with mine!" The girl proclaimed, plopping herself down onto the top of the closed toilet seat lid and beaming up at him with her rich chocolate eyes. Her lips curved tightly back over her arrow-straight teeth, revealing the most perfect, bright smile Finn had ever seen on a normal non-celebrity person. The entire sight of her – smile and all – made his stomach flip, filling it to the brim with a wild butterfly sensation. Finn swallowed down a large lump that began to form in his throat as he grabbed for the other side of the shower curtain, pulling it protectively around him.

"Okay…" Finn began, nervously blinking back his confusion. "I'm – I'm sorta busy and… and naked."

The girl swat away his concerns, literally passing the back of her hand through the air as if his lack of clothing barely concerned her. Her face then lit up as she clasped her hands tightly together into her lap, exclaiming, "You should join Glee Club!"

Finn's throat released a shrill, fearful chuckle until he realized that the bubbly intruder was being _completely_ serious with her wild suggestion. He wet his lips and parted them in confusion, "What, like, show choir?"

"Exactly." She answered, smiling her perfect grin while nodding enthusiastically.

"Noooo... uh-uh." Finn said sternly, shaking his head quickly back and forth.

"But your voice – you have a gift! A gift that I think could lead us to Nationals!" She continued to press, extending her hand, "I'm Rachel, by the way. Rachel Berry. We met in the hall on Tuesday."

Finn swallowed hard once again, glancing down at her open palm suspiciously. He hesitantly reached forward, watching as the hot water dripped down from his forearm and pooled down onto the tile floor, and clasped her hand loosely.

"I'm – uh – Finn… listen, Rachel," He started, pulling his hand gently back, "I just made the football team. I don't really have time for any other… _things_."

"Sure you do," She insisted, beginning to count people off on her fingers one-by-one, "Noah Puckerman, Mike Chang, and Sam Evans are all on the football team and in Glee Club. Santana Lopez, Brittany Pierce and Quinn Fabray are all cheerleaders and also in Glee Club. Some of our members, including Artie Abrams, Tina Cohen-Chang, Mike Chang, and Brittany Pierce juggle their time between Glee Club and McKinley's Academic Decathlon Club called 'The Brainiacs'. And I personally – "

"I get it." Finn cut her off, finally realizing what Quinn had been rambling on about earlier during their dinner date. "Look, I'm sorry, I'm just trying to… uh, to figure out how to fit in at this school."

Rachel furrowed her brow and pursed her lips, staring at Finn for a long, silent moment.

Then, as the fog from the hot water began to steam up around her, she lit up and smiled wide. "There is hardly a better way of 'fitting in' at a new school than by joining a club! And, our Glee Club almost won Regionals last year! All we were missing was a strong male lead – like you!"

"At my old school, Glee Club was a joke and everyone in it was… not treated very nicely." Finn mumbled, recollecting back on a cold, December morning when the head Glee Club member at Skyline High had been rung halfway up the school's flagpole by his green underwear.

"Okay, so Glee Club may not be the _most_ popular club at McKinley… but I saw you on Friday, in the hall." Rachel said, sympathy dripping from her voice as she lowered her volume for a change, "You stuck up for Kurt. You told him to stop letting people push him around. You would be a _great_ leader for a group full of… students who don't get treated very nicely."

Finn's eyes trailed off onto the floor and he squinted down onto the tiles, recalling the intimate moment shared between Kurt and himself on Friday afternoon. Before he could stop his internal inquiry from forming into audible words, he blurted out, "Are you stalking me?"

"Come to rehearsal on Monday. Please, just _one_ rehearsal!" Rachel pleaded, ignoring his question.

Finn brought his gaze back up onto Rachel, clenching his teeth anxiously. He was surprised to find that there was something oddly intriguing about the passion behind her eyes; something that, despite her demeanor seeming a _tad bit insane_ , drew Finn's inner attraction and interest toward her. She, like Quinn, had an impassioned ambition to rise to the top; though Finn found that Rachel, unlike Quinn, had a likeable kindness to her that greatly enticed him.

"If… I say yes… will you leave the bathroom?"

Rachel nodded, causing her raven-colored bangs to bob up and down abruptly above her eyebrows. "Yes."

"Ok then." Finn exhaled, softening his eyes. Rachel blinked at him silently, waiting for him to clarify. " _Yes_. Fine."

Rachel then squealed and jumped up from the lid of the toilet seat, causing Finn to slightly jump, and clapped her hands together with excitement, "You won't regret it, Finn!"

Finn shot her a nervous smile as she made her way for the door, whispering through his tightly clenched teeth, "Yeah… I think I already am…"

As Rachel swung the door open, preparing to exit the bathroom, Kurt appeared on the other side, glaring down upon her with wide, angry eyes. "Rachel! I told you to use the _downstairs_ bathroom! What is _wrong_ with you!?"

"Don't worry, Kurt, Finn and I were just getting to know each other!" Rachel assured, placing her hand atop Kurt's shoulder and slipping nonchalantly past him while shooting Finn one last hauntingly-perfect smile.

The last thing Finn saw, before the bathroom door shut quietly behind them, was an expression of sheer horror painted across Kurt's face as he mouthed the words "I'm so sorry" back toward Finn.

That night, before crawling onto the comfort and safety of his mattress, Finn checked beneath the box spring and framing of his bed to be absolutely _certain_ that Rachel Berry was not hiding underneath.


	4. New Directions

**A/N**

 **11/23/15:** Friends, I know that I published this chapter 3 days ago (on the 20th) but it was AWFUL. I rushed through it, produced something sloppy and embarrassing, and I couldn't live with that.

As a result, I made myself edit through the entire thing, producing something that now reads much better (and clearer) and has some major improvements. If you have already read this chapter, as it was, I have changed it quite a bit BUT not enough that it is necessary to re-read if you don't want to.

I am so sorry for any confusion that this update may have caused - I just couldn't keep it the way that it was.

 **11/20/15:** I've never written a story with singing before… so, I'm going to try and make this as simple as possible for you guys!

I will only include songs that they actually sing, assigning them to the correct characters so that you guys (in theory) could play the song in the background while reading along. Or not. Totally up to you. I like the added realism, personally…

I will be pulling songs from each season, so let's just roll with that together! :)

Featured in this chapter: **I'll Stand By You – Finn Hudson**

* * *

Finn stood nervously within the hallway just outside of the McKinley High choir room, staring at the tightly closed door with a growing, heavy uncertainty stirring deep within his stomach.

The entirety of his Sunday afternoon had been consumed with contemplating on whether or not he would _actually_ attend the Glee Club rehearsal on Monday morning; and he had successfully kept this internal quarrel very much to himself, not wishing to welcome his mother, Burt, or Kurt in on his personal (and very strange) array of problems. There were plenty of scenarios running rapidly throughout his mind and a bevy of different reasons as to why he should (and should _not)_ attend the Glee Club rehearsal. On one hand, he feared that his rather short reputation would be immediately destroyed if he dared to join such a silly club, immediately ending any chances he had of skating through high school with popularity. On the other hand, Finn was cripplingly afraid that Rachel Berry would hunt him down and torture him into submission if he failed to attend at least _one_ Glee Club rehearsal.

Finn's sweaty, nervous hands rubbed anxiously together as he took a slow step forward, craning his neck in an effort to quietly peek through the door's narrow, glossy window. As he peered through the glass, absentmindedly holding his breath, Finn was shocked to discover that several students were already mingling about within the large choir room. He immediately recognized the four separate faces of Arty, Mercedes, Tina, and Mike… all names that he had heard Rachel Berry mention on Saturday; though, admittedly, Finn was still surprised to see that any students - other than Berry and her eccentric personality - were voluntarily participating within the club.

Releasing a hot stream of air out past his lips, Finn reached for the door handle and inwardly began to pep-talk himself into entering the room.

 _Go on, you've got this, it's just a silly singing club... just get this over with so that Rachel will never mention it again... open the door... open... the..._

"'Sup dude."

Finn's ears twitched and he instinctively flinched away from the door as a voice intruded in on his self-motivating thoughts. He turned quickly around to see Puckerman standing beside him, curiously glancing from Finn, to the choir room, then back onto Finn with a puzzled expression. Puck then squared his shoulders and gestured toward the label plastered onto the center of the door, plainly reading 'CHOIR ROOM' in large white letters, while muttering, "You lost?"

Finn swallowed hard, his eyes automatically twitching onto the door's label. With a long, heavy sigh he then glanced blankly back up toward the mohawk-clad boy and slowly inquired, "So, it's true? You really are a member of this club?"

"What, the New Directions? Oh, yeah. At first I joined just so that I could get closer to Quinn, but she didn't want anything to do with me. Now I'm just trying to be a better example for Beth." Puck casually pushed the door open and gestured towards the large array of instruments lying stilly at the corner of the choir room. "Plus the chicks dig a singin' dude with a guitar."

Finn's ears twitched at the mention of Quinn and the familiar name of 'Beth', and he hurriedly put two and two together within his mind. With an awkward 'aha!' moment his mouth formed into an 'oh' shape and he cranked his neck to the side, trying to swallow down the incessant question now burning within his throat.

"So," Finn started, attempting to remain as nonchalant as humanly possible, "You're the father… of Quinn's baby?"

"Yeah, I hit that." Replied Puck instantaneously, shrugging his broad shoulders up into his neck with a frown. He then relaxed his arms back downward and shot Finn an overtly amused grin. "It's totally cool that you two went on a date, though. I'm over her. I've got my eyes on bigger and better things now."

With a wink Puck motioned into the choir room towards a large brunette girl seated at the back, and Finn immediately recognized her as Lauren Zizes.

Lauren appeared to be extremely bored as she inattentively listened in on Tina and Mike's intimate exchange, clutching a bag of wide-open chips tightly within her lap while holding back an obvious yawn. As she sat at the back row of seats her eyes slowly wandered onto Puckerman; and in the exact moment that their gazes locked she immediately shot him a disgusted sneer and mouthed the words 'you wish' before shoving a chip aggressively in-between her lips.

"Hey guys," muttered a familiar, friendly voice from behind them. Finn turned to see Sam and his blonde, swaying head of hair as he leisurely made his way up toward them while his warn-out guitar strap hung loosely across his broad chest. When he reached the duo, who were now standing motionless within the open doorway, he favorably pat Puckerman on the shoulder and eyed Finn with a thick, unwavering curiosity. "Are you lost, Hudson?"

"That's what _I_ asked him." Said Puck, folding his arms across his chest and waiting for Finn's delayed response with a quirked eyebrow.

Finn sighed heavily and brushed his left hand nervously through his dark head of hair, shifting his eyes between Sam and Puck. "No, I'm… uh, I'm here to –"

"I hate to break up this gaggle of Neanderthals," a vicious voice ridiculed from behind them, "But I need the three of you to stop jerking each other off and move the hell out of my way."

Finn, Sam, and Puck all glanced behind them in turned to find two tall and slender Cheerio's impatiently waiting to enter the choir room. Finn insatntly recognized these girls from his encounter with them in the lunch room on Thursday – Brittany and Santana – and he was instantly reminded of Santana's cruel, fierce eyes as she made an a belligerent 'shooing' motion towards the three of them.

The trio immediately scooted into the choir room while allowing Santana and Brittany the chance to glide quickly past them and find seats at the middle row of chairs. Finn stood awkwardly at the center of the room, staring blankly up at the seating arrangements as Puck and Finn separated and found their ways up to their pre-determined seats. He hesitantly glanced around at all of the faces within the room, easily recognizing a majority of the students from either football practice or several of his classes. Finn found that he was both shocked and relieved to discover that almost _every_ student Rachel Berry had mentioned actually appeared to be in attendance...

"You came!" A voice squealed from behind him, causing Finn to flinch. He practically had nightmares about that sweet, highly-excitable voice after Saturday night…

Finn turned with a small smile to find both Rachel and Kurt standing wordlessly within the doorway. Rachel immediately made her way quickly toward Finn, grinning from ear to ear as she scooted around him and plopped down into one of the chairs at the front row of seating.

Kurt, on the other hand, was staring up at Finn with obvious confusion plastered across his face.

Finn felt his lips curve down into a frown and he clenched his jaw awkwardly, fighting down the growing feeling of regret and embarrassment.

 _I probably should have mentioned this…_

"Finn, are you lost?" Kurt loudly inquired, squinting up toward him with mild suspicion. Everyone in the choir room suddenly fell into a numbing silence while turning their attentions onto Finn with curiosity.

After a span of silence, Rachel piped up, "He's here to sing!"

She then grabbed a hold of Finn's forearm and pulled him down into the chair beside her, clinging to him with excitement.

Finn caved into the hard chair and stared blankly onto the floor, fully aware of the eleven sets of eyes now burning into the back of his head.

" _Can_ you even sing?" Sam finally inquired from his chair, quickly scrambling to clarify, "No offense – you just don't seem like the singing type, dude."

"None of you can sing. But, I still accept you guys." Brittany chimed in, bringing her fingernails up to eye-level and examining her cuticles with a critical expression.

"Brittany, this is Glee Club…" Said Artie slowly, watching her with mild concern. "We are _all_ singers."

"I _know_ that. And I love all of you. But you all suck." Brittany respondeded, dropping her hand and shooting Artie an apologetic look. She then glanced down toward Rachel and shrugged plainly, folding her arms across her chest and leaning her back heavily into the support of her chair. "Lord Tubbington can carry a tune better than Rachel."

Mercedes attempted to hold back a giggle, failing miserably. Rachel immediately flipped around in her chair, flinging her dark locks wildly about her while shooting the Diva an angry, irritated glare. Her fingernails began to dig aggressively into Finn's skin as she scowled, painfully reminding him that she still had a tight grip on his arm.

The tension was quickly dissipated as the choir room door swung open once more, revealing Finn's Spanish teacher, Mr. Schuester, hurriedly rushing in with an enthusiastic smile while quickly shadowed by Quinn Fabray.

Quinn's face, upon noticing Finn, fell into a state of wonder as she moved slowly towards the back row of chairs, shooting him a confused look.

 _Well, that's everyone…_ Finn thought to himself, glancing quickly around to mentally check off every name Rachel had previously listed.

"Alright everyone, I've got some ideas for Sectionals…" Mr. Schue began, halting in the middle of the room and glancing towards Finn with a mixture of both confusion and shock. "Hi, Finn. Are you – "

"I'm not lost!" Finn blurted out, wiggling his arm free from Rachel's death grip and standing abruptly up onto his feet, "I'm here to, like, tryout or… _whatever_."

Mr. Schue's brows furrowed as he glanced around the room with suspicion, eventually bringing his gaze back up onto Finn. "Great! I didn't even know you were a singer!"

"This should be awful." Santana mumbled.

"Santana…" Mr. Schue warned, shooting the brunette Cheerio a stern glare.

"Don't worry. He has an amazing voice and our pitches match perfectly!" Rachel assured, hopping up from her chair to stand next to Finn and instantaneously forcing everyone to glance up at the both of them. Once everyone was expectantly staring, Rachel decided to elaborate a bit further, "We sang a duet in the shower together!"

Finn began to shake his head frantically back and forth, "No – uh – actually …"

He was cut off as Santana began to slow clap, beaming from ear to ear as she redirected her attention back toward Finn with an amused smile. "Well _now_ I want to know what Pillsbury Dough-Jock has to offer."

" _Santana_ …" Mr. Schue hissed through gritted teeth.

Santana, fully ignoring Mr. Schue, folded her arms tightly across her chest and continued to glower at Finn. "Of course, if it's more _comfortable_ for you to sing naked then I suggest you quickly whip those Double-D's out of your oversized t-shirt before you serenade us with your terrible singing."

Mr. Schue slapped his clipboard loudly against his side with an exasperated sigh, shooting Santana one final warning glare.

"I actually came prepared to sing." Said Finn, making his way slowly towards the empty drum set he had spied sitting silently in the corner of the room. He paused for a moment to glance back toward Mr. Schue with a reassuring smile, "Like… with my clothes _on_."

"Great!" Mr. Schue exclaimed with a nervous chuckle. "The floor is yours!"

Finn rounded the drum set and scooped up the sticks, planting himself softly down onto the swiveling chair. Everyone was silent as he momentarily tinkered with the level of the chair and practiced his foot on the pedal, finally squaring his shoulders and clearing his throat nervously. He glanced quickly over towards Rachel as his stomach began to turn into a tight, anxious knot, and she offered him a wide smile while raising her left hand up into a 'thumbs up' motion. Her simple, encouraging gesture brought a narrow smile across Finn's lips, immediately shattering any of his crippling apprehensions.

With one final, deep inhale, Finn softly began to sing…

"Oh, why you look so sad? Tears are in your eyes, come on and come to me now, don't be ashamed to cry, let me see you through, 'cause I've seen the dark side too," a short man seated silently behind the piano began to play along, picking up with Finn as he sang, "When the night falls on you, you don't know what to do, nothing you confess, could make me love you less…"

Finn paused to take a breath, feeling a bit more at ease as the entire Glee Club (except for Rachel) stared down upon him with obvious astonishment painted across each of their faces. He then steadied the sticks tightly above the drum set, preparing to play along with the main chorus line...

"I'll stand by you, I'll stand by you, won't let nobody hurt you, I'll stand by you!"

Finn noticed Kurt's mouth hanging slightly agape as he stared down at Finn with a wide-eyed astonishment.

Finn shot Kurt a small half-smile before continuing...

"So if you're mad, get mad, don't hold it all inside, come on and talk to me now, hey, what you got to hide? I get angry too, well, I'm a lot like you, when you're standing at the crossroads, don't know which path to choose, let me come along, 'cause even if you're wrong…"

At this point two choir students stood up and began to strum along on both the bass and the guitar, playing the tune perfectly.

"I'll stand by you, I'll stand by you, won't let nobody hurt you, I'll stand by you! Take me in, into your darkest hour, and I'll never desert you, I'll stand by you!"

Quinn bit down on her lower lip while shaking her head back and forth in awe, shooting Finn an encouraging wink.

"And when... When the night falls on you, baby, you're feeling all alone, you won't be on your own, I'll stand by you, I'll stand by you! Won't let nobody hurt you, I'll stand by you! Take me in, into your darkest hour, and I'll never desert you, I'll stand by you, I'll stand by you, won't let nobody hurt you, I'll stand by you! And I'll never desert you, I'll stand by you, I'll stand by you, won't let nobody hurt you, I'll stand by you!"

There was a short span of stillness, filled with Finn's sudden anxiety as the music came to an abrupt stop. His breath suddenly caught nervously within his throat and he could feel his heart beginning to race wildly against his chest as everyone stared blankly down upon him.

Mr. Schuester's loud and exuberant clapping finally broke against the silence, allowing Finn the alleviation to re-capture his breath and relax his shoulders down with welcomed relief.

"Awesome, Finn, wow!" Mr. Schue exclaimed, rounding the drum set and clapping Finn on the back.

Finn smiled widely, standing up and leisurely making his way back towards his seat while glancing expectantly towards Rachel.

"I told you!" Rachel proclaimed, vigorously clapping along with Mr. Schue. Her beautiful, perfect smile was wide and gleaming as she beamed up at Finn, causing his stomach to fill with that same familiar butterfly sensation.

"Dang, dude, you've got some serious pipes!" Said Puck, leaning forward and offering his closed first towards Finn. Finn chuckled and bumped his fist into Puck's before dropping back down into his seat beside Rachel.

"Well, I'm impressed." Said Mercedes, smiling down at Finn.

"Me too." Sam added, his eyebrows raised high into his hairline with lingering disbelief.

"Jesus, guys, he wasn't _that_ great." Santana mumbled, shooting each commenter a stern glare in turn.

"I beg to differ!" Quinn countered to Santana, leaning forward from behind Finn and whispering into the back of his head. "You have serious talent, Finn."

The hairs on the back of Finn's neck immediately prickled up in discomfort as Quinn's voice brushed softly against his skin, causing him to reactively twitch away from the sensation.

"Kurt, why were you hiding your magical roommate from all of us?" Inquired Brittany, pointedly narrowing her eyes onto Kurt.

Finn turned his attention onto Kurt as a full, heavy anticipation engulfed him.

Kurt slowly turned his head back and forth while still bearing the same wide-eyed expression as before, and he mused, "All I knew was that he was strikingly handsome – I didn't think he had a lick of talent."

A few of the New Direction's members laughed at this and Finn raised his eyebrow while grinning back at Kurt. "Thanks?"

"He's perfect," Rachel said to Kurt, then twisted back around to face Finn with a wide smile. " _You're_ perfect."

Finn glanced back toward Rachel and softened, finally allowing the reality of the moment to sink in.

Mr. Schue nodded his curly-haired head, lifting his clipboard up and waving it in the air in an effort to re-capture everyone's attention. "Alright guys, we've got a lot of work to do before Sectionals. Let's talk choreography…"

Finn felt his euphoria drop instantaneously and he gulped down heavily within his throat.

 _Oh, no… like… dancing!?_

* * *

Finn ran through the dance-steps over and over again within his mind, moving his feet sloppily around the small space of carpet within his bedroom in a failed attempt to learn the highly-advanced dance routine that Mr. Schue had assigned to him in Glee Club. As he moved, constantly stumbling across his own feet, it was becoming unarguable apparent that dancing, for Finn, amounted to the same level of gracefulness as a fish attempting to climb a tree.

Finn had never been proficient in dancing, no matter what the circumstances may be; whether it was high school dances or dance floors at wedding celebrations, dancing was simply _not_ his thing. And, much to his horror, Finn had been jaw-droppingly astonished to discover that show choir competitions were heavily focused around synchronized choreography.

After almost an hour of ceaseless practicing Finn took a well-deserved break and pulled his laptop up onto his bed, furiously google searching the previous year's show choir regional competition. As Finn patiently waited for the video to load, rubbing the back of his hand lazily across his brow, he fully expecting to discover much _less_ dancing than what Mr. Schue was requiring of him. Unfortunately, to his immediate dismay, Finn was stunned to find that all three teams' performances were full of the most elaborate singing and dancing combinations he had ever witnessed. One team in particular, called "Vocal Adrenaline", had performed a choreographed number of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" similar to that of a high-end Beyoncé music video. Finn sat with his mouth slightly-agape, watching the performance from start to finish while feeling – understandably – overwhelmed.

At the end of the video Finn slowly shut the cover of his laptop and glanced with absolute dread back toward the blank space of flooring, beginning to feel the subsequent aches of his recent 50 minutes of rigorous practicing. Begrudgingly, he drug his feet back out onto the center of the carpet and began to count off the steps once again within his mind while moving along to his internal beat...

 _One, two, three, step, parry, turn, one, two, three… shit… shit, shit… OUCH…_

Finn's sore, uncoordinated feet tripped gracelessly over one another, sending his knees sharply into the short nightstand planted alongside his bed while consequently knocking his alarm clock and lamp noisily onto the floor. With an exasperated sigh Finn knelt forward and collected the fallen items, noticing a large drop of sweat cascading down from his dark strands of hair and dripping onto the floor. With a defeated frown, Finn fell back onto the soft surface of his bed and stared up at the ceiling, taking a moment to recap his miserable situation. He had never imagined that preparing for a Show Choir competition would wear him out as much (if not more) than an average football practice ever had. Perhaps he really _was_ in over his head…

 _What have I gotten myself into!?_

The unexpected sound of his buzzing cellphone shook Finn's senses, causing him to lazily retrieve the vibrating gadget from the edge of his bed. Once captured tightly within his fingers, Finn balanced the small device high above his face and winced up at the newly-received text message from Zach.

 **"Hey bro, been a while. What's new?"**

Finn's thumbs hesitated to move as he contemplated what to reply and he frowned as the realization began to sink in; he was certain that Zach was already aware of his acceptance onto the McKinley High Titans, which now meant that Zach and Finn were _somewhat_ distant rivals. However, that news _paled_ in comparison to the knowledge and consequential verbal thrashing Finn would receive if his Lansing friends found out about his recent membership within the New Directions. He could already hear Jacob, Zach, and Kat's nagging voices vibrating around within his mind…

Finn dropped his phone onto the bed beside his head and pressed his hands tightly against his eyes in a desperate attempt to quiet his racing, unhelpful thoughts.

A small, rhythmic knocking echoed from his door frame, causing Finn's ears to twitch as his hands fell from his face. He glanced curiously up toward his open doorway to find Kurt balancing on the threshold.

"Hey…" Said Finn, awkwardly pulling himself up into a sitting position. He instantly noted the way that Kurt's lips pressed tightly together into a long, hard line as his blue eyes darting casually around Finn's room.

Kurt shifted his feet and clasped his hands firmly together, shyly glancing towards the floorboards. "May… I come in?"

"Yeah, sure." Replied Finn, absentmindedly pushing his phone underneath his pillow as it began to incessantly buzz once again.

Kurt leisurely made his way into Finn's bedroom, glancing with fake interest at the posters and items displayed upon the walls.

Finn silently watched as Kurt made his way to the center of the room, finally halting his journey to pull his attention onto Finn's sweaty face. Kurt then unlatched his hands and pulled them up onto his hips, shooting Finn a look full of mock disapproval. "I had no idea you were a singer! Have any other hidden talents that you would like to share?"

"I didn't know I was either." Finn said with a smirk, clearing his throat with embarassment. "I mean… my Mom always told me that I had a nice voice… but, she also thinks I'm a better football player than Aaron Rodgers."

"I… have no idea what an 'Aaron Rodgers' is." Kurt said slowly, laughing at his own expense.

Finn chuckled and shook his head back and forth, motioning with an open palm towards the carpet where he had recently attempted to conquer his dance routine. "I don't know anything about dancing."

"Maaaybe we can help each other..." Kurt offered, setting himself down at the edge of Finn's bed while quirking an eyebrow.

Finn cautiously straightened his back, narrowing his eyes cautiously onto Kurt. "Okay..."

"Look, my Dad loves football. I think it's brutish and pointless. However, it would be nice to sit down and watch a Sunday game with him... preferably if I understand what's happening." Kurt started, noticing Finn's painfully confused expression and rushing to continue, "If you help me understand football, I'll help you learn how to dance."

Finn pursed his lips, considering the offer. Certainly he needed the additional help in learning the dance moves, _but_ …

"You're going to teach me how to dance in exchange for... football facts?" Finn's voice peaked at the end, thick with suspicion.

"Well, that _and_ …" Kurt began, darting his eyes slyly to the side while leaning slowly in toward Finn, raising his hand as if he were about to reveal a huge secret. "Look, Rachel Berry is not the _only_ person who wants to win at Nationals this year. She may be clinically insane but we both harbor the same future goals."

Finn's lips curved up into a small half-smile and he nodded in understanding, recalling Rachel's unwavering dedication to winning at Nationals this year. "You two are pretty close, huh?"

"I would have murdered her last year for the right amount of money." Said Kurt with a high-pitched chuckle. Finn's face morphed into an expression of mild concern before Kurt began to elaborate, "But, you'll find that she's deranged in a lovable kind of way."

Finn immediately recalled how nervous he had felt when he had sat down to play the drums earlier that day, and how the rising pressure had caused him to glance expectantly onto Rachel. He remembered the wide smile she had given him – encouraging, warm, and full of assurance – and the way that her kind gesture had somehow dissipated his nervous jitters.

"So, about the dancing?" Kurt's voice broke in on Finn's wandering train of thought, drawing his attention back into reality.

"Yeah," Finn mumbled, reactively glancing toward his nightstand and noticing the way that it now stood a little bit more crookedly against the wall. "I… think I need the help."

"I _know_ you need the help," Kurt said with a smile, standing up abruptly and following Finn's gaze onto the table, "Quite frankly, I thought we were experiencing an earthquake."

Finn attempted to fight off an amused smile as it threatened to curve up onto his lips but he couldn't resist the small smirk that stole its way across his face.

As Kurt began to make his way for the door, Finn quickly called after him, "Hey – uh… what's for dinner tonight?"

Kurt paused and backpedaled, twisting his head around to glance back at Finn.

"I believe they are attempting lasagna… but their cooking is _honestly_ unidentifiable until you taste it." Kurt then quirked his head to the side, narrowing his eyes upon Finn. "Why?"

Finn understood the nature of Kurt's curious inquiry; he had _yet_ to sit down with Kurt, Burt, and Carole for a 'family dinner' since his arrival in Lima.

Finn gnawed on the inside of his cheek, drawing himself up onto his feet while gesturing past Kurt towards the doorway. "Ask them to set me a place at the table?"

Kurt's jaw gaped slightly but he slammed it quickly shut before nodding and mumbling, "You are just _full_ of surprises today, Finn."

* * *

The following morning Finn slowly and sorely journeyed his way through McKinley High's extended, busy hallway with his nose buried deep within his cellphone. He busily thumbed through the lengthy string of un-answered text messages from both Kat and Zach, actively ignoring the incessant "3 missed calls" reminder that monotonously blinked in the upper right-hand corner of his phone's screen.

As he moved, momentarily distracted by the elongated series of texts, Finn's ears twitched at the thundering sound of three separate sets of footsteps echoing loudly down the hallway in his general direction. Finn drew his attention up toward the reverberating sound, surprised to find that several students were now diving off to the side while flinching their faces into their opened lockers.

Before he could react, or even question the odd scene that was playing out before him, Finn's face was engulfed by a frozen, wet slushy tossed directly into the center of his head.

"Welcome to the team, _Loser_ ," Karofsky's voice shouted from somewhere behind him, muffled by the sound of loud laughter emitting from his two friends, "And I'm _not_ talking about football."

Finn's jaw dropped instinctively open as he spit out the red, frigid slushy while drawing in a harsh, stuttering gasp. His hands reactively flew up onto his face and he hurriedly wiped the frozen drink free from the corners of his eyes, frantically clearing his brows and lashes from the ice-cold liquid now clinging to his skin. He could hear the mutters and murmurs of the startled students around him as he attempted to open his eyes, just barely able to make-out the blurry silhouettes of both Rachel and Puck as they rushed hurriedly toward him.

"I'd punch his face in, man, but Coach Beiste said she'll kick any player off of the team that acts violently." Said Puck, glancing down the hallway past Finn's left shoulder while throwing his middle finger up into the air and waving it aggressively toward Karofsky and his two goonish friends.

" _That's_ not violent?" Inquired Finn, pulling his soaked and freshly-stained t-shirt away from his chest while allowing the frozen bits of slushy to tumble out onto the ground.

"Slushies are more emotionally damaging than physically." Rachel said softly, reaching up and grabbing a chunk of ice off of Finn's shoulder. "At least, that's what Principal Figgins says."

"Yeah, well, my eyes kind of burn…" Retorted Finn, pressing the back of his hands against his tightly-clenched eyes while actively refusing any further attempts at re-opening them. He could suddenly feel Rachel's hands wrapping softly around his forearm and he hopelessly followed along as she began to lead him gently away.

"Come on, Finn, I'll clean you up." She offered sweetly, pulling his protectively behind her.

Feeling vulnerable (and completely unable to successfully maneuver the hallways on his own) Finn silently obliged and followed Rachel, unknowingly journeying off into an obscure and mysterious direction. As they traveled, slowly and steadily, Finn could make out the quiet conversations of several curious students along the way; each one muttering small remarks and inquiries around the lines of, "Whoa, what did he do to piss of Karofsky?" or, "I thought he was the new quarterback?" or,"I heard he joined Glee Club!" or, the worst, "Well, that's what you get for being a loser!".The harsh and awful mumbles and murmurs were eventually silenced by the soft sound of a swinging door as it softly closed behind them.

Finn instantly identified the room by the way his footfalls reverberated off of the tile walls, and he knew that the mingling scents of both perfume and hand soap could only result in one place...

"Is this… the girl's bathroom?" Finn inquired, pulling to a sudden stop while softly tugging his arm free from Rachel's grip.

"It's fine!" Said Rachel. Finn could suddenly make out the sounds of her tugging several paper towels free from a dispenser while twisting a sink knob to release fast stream of water. "Kurt comes in here all the time!"

"Yeah, that's… not really the same…" Finn started, trailing off as Rachel gently began to run the warm, soft paper towel down the sides of his face. He bent his head obediently forward as she brushed the towel tenderly around the ice-cold skin at his neck, slowly and gently working her way around his head in an effort to clear the frigid substance from his ears, eyes, and collarbone.

Once Finn was able to open his eyes he noticed a small metal chair seated backwards in front of the long line of sinks and he curiously glanced toward Rachel with genuine inquiry. She reactively offered him an enthusiastic smile while gesturing for him to take a seat.

Finn quirked an eyebrow, glancing down at the chair with uncertainty. "What... are you going to wash my hair?"

"Yep!" She replied, simply and brightly.

 _No…_

Before Finn could audibly protest Rachel softly tugged him down onto the stiff, solid chair and gently pulled his head back into the running flow of water; immediately working her fingers through his thick head of hair in an effort to free his dark locks from the frigid, sticky substance. The feeling of her hands working gently down his scalp sent a warm, welcoming tingle down the back of Finn's spine, consequently chasing away the frozen chill that had encased his body.

Finn watched her with interest while she worked, surprised at how versed she was in cleaning up this particular mess. He then noticed, with much suspicion, that Rachel had brought along a bag full of every-day bathroom essentials; a towel, shampoo, conditioner, face wash, soap, a washcloth…

 _Oh, I get it…_

"This happens to the Glee Club a lot, doesn't it?" Finn finally asked, softly.

Rachel bit down on her lip, gently pushing his head forward and beginning to dry his hair with the towel that she (apparently) kept on-hand for this exact re-occurring situation.

"I _told_ you we're not treated very nicely." Rachel said slowly, pausing in her work to glance down at his face. "I – I completely understand if you want to quit Glee Club. We aren't exactly the coolest kids at this school."

Finn glanced up towards Rachel, shocked to find that a sudden sadness had morphed across her chocolatey doe-shaped eyes. A lump began to form deep within Finn's throat as he stared back at her beautiful complexion, suddenly consumed by a fiery, foreign passion that he had never experienced before.

"No. No, I don't want to quit." He said, standing up from the chair and turning to fully face her. "I want to win."

Rachel hesitated for a moment, blinking back surprise. "Really!?"

"Yeah." Said Finn, softly grabbing the towel from her hand and rubbing the last bit of water free from his ears. He glanced at his reflection within the mirror and took a deep, steady breath while squaring his shoulders. "We're gonna win at Nationals and prove to everyone at this school that the New Directions isn't just a group full of… y'know, _losers_."

Rachel squealed with excitement, her face now brightening back into its usual gleeful demeanor as she beamed happily up toward him.

"I could just hug you right now!" She exclaimed, biting down onto her lower lip while shooting him a curious look. "I'm going to, okay?"

Finn chuckled and opened his arms, letting out a light "oof" as Rachel leapt into his chest while wrapping her arms tightly around him. He returned the embrace, shocked by her deeply intimate reaction, and was immediately overwhelmed by her familiar flowery scent.

Finn found himself absentmindedly pressing his cheek tightly against the top of her raven-haired head, breathing in the comforting smell of her soft, perfume-sprinkled hair while holding her gently against him…

The bathroom door suddenly swung forward with a loud and interrupting 'whoosh', causing both Finn and Rachel to release their embrace and step casually away from each other.

Finn winced nervously towards the door, fully expecting to hear a scream or a slur of cuss words, and was overcome with a rushing flow of relief at the sight of Quinn.

Quinn slowly and steadily made her way into the center of the girl's bathroom, her forest-green eyes glancing curiously between the two of them before she came to a full halt in front of Finn.

Finn noticed the blonde Cheerio's demeanor morph into something wicked as her eyes fell menacingly onto Rachel.

"I heard what happened," Quinn mumbled slowly, bringing her gaze back up toward Finn and brightening, "Are you alright, Finn?"

"I'm fine," Said Finn, motioning toward Rachel with a small half-grin. "Rachel helped."

"That's… _great_ ," Said Quinn through partially gritted teeth, folding her arms tightly before her chest.

Finn glanced from Quinn, to Rachel, then back onto Quinn, sensing the growing tensions that were beginning to form within the still bathroom air.

"Okay, well, I'm gonna go before… well, uh, before more girls show up... and I get expelled…" Said Finn, awkwardly twisting his way around Quinn's small body while making his escape towards the door.

Before fully committing to his departure Finn paused to glance back toward Rachel; taking a moment to appreciate her small, pink pencil skirt and the way that her dark, rich hair fell in ringlets down around her bare shoulders. Wetting his lips, fighting away the odd sensation that began twisting its way up into his chest, Finn offered Rachel a genuine half-smile and said, "Thanks, Rach."

Rachel visibly flushed as the nickname rolled off of the tip of his tongue and Finn gnawed on the inside of his cheek as he disappeared out into the busy hallway.


	5. Finding Confidence

**A/N** : Featured in this chapter: **Smile (Lily Allen Song) – Rachel Berry and Finn Hudson**

* * *

"Move, move, move!" Coach Beiste yelled from the sideline, blowing her whistle and waving her left arm around in a large, circular motion.

Finn stared down at the long row of car tires splayed tightly across the grass before him, sucking in a deep breath of air as he began moving his feet rapidly in-between the center of each one. He was instantly taken-aback by how quickly he managed to maneuver through this particular football drill, immediately attributing his new-found agility to his nightly choreography lessons with Kurt. These rehearsals, which had greatly improved Finn's footwork, had been going on for a week within Finn's bedroom; and they had each included an hour long, rigorous dance performance of Kurt's random choosing. At first Finn had struggled greatly with the foot-work and timing of the dance routines but as the week drew on he found himself becoming much lighter on his feet and far faster in his movements.

"Good work, Hudson!" Coach Beiste called from the sideline as Finn traversed across the last set of tires. "You completed that drill in thirteen seconds! That's a new record for you!"

Finn slowed his feet to a walk, catching Puck's open-palmed high-five as he made his way towards the back of the line.

"Looks like all of those Brittany Spears dance moves are really paying off." Karofsky mumbled from somewhere behind Finn.

Finn spun around on his heel, glaring through his helmet towards Karofsky, Azimio, and Strando as they all shared a loud, chortling fit of laughter. Shortly following after the provoking guffaws Finn noticed Puckerman begin to aggressively lunge in Karofsky's direction; but Finn managed to successfully catch Puck by the elbow and draw him swiftly back.

Ever since the shocking news of Finn joining the Glee Club had spread like a wildfire across McKinley High's social network, the once widely-adored football star's life had subsequently morphed into a peculiar stage. Finn was now, somehow, both one of the most popular _and_ loathed students currently attending McKinley High. To a large majority of his classmates Finn was a good-hearted athlete who charismatically roamed the school's hallways as a decent guy. However, to the school's athletic population (ranging widely, all the way from varsity baseball players to J.V. wrestlers) Finn had fast become a singing and dancing joke. And, sadly, almost all of Finn's current problems had stemmed solely from Karofsky and his two hovering lackeys; including his embarrassing new habit of flinching away from any student who wandered down the hallways holding a frozen drink within their hands.

Luckily, in drastic contrast to school life, Finn's home life had massively improved ever since he had become a member of the Glee Club; especially in the form of his relationship with Kurt. Finn and Kurt had fast formed a peculiar bond that was swiftly built upon their odd 'trade arrangement'. Each night, somewhere in-between homework and dinner, Kurt would help Finn practice the New Directions choreography and Finn would assist Kurt in grasping basic football knowledge. The trade, though seemingly odd, had greatly benefited both boys; Burt and Kurt were able to successfully enjoy their first football game together, and Finn was becoming (slightly) more confident in his dancing abilities.

Unfortunately, despite the leaps and bounds being achieved within his home, Finn _still_ had to endure a majority of his daily life inter-mingling with the other students at McKinley High.

As football practice came to a finish, and all of the players began dragging their feet in the direction of the locker rooms, Finn found himself naturally gravitating towards Mike and Sam as they wandered leisurely off of the field.

"Hey guys," Finn said casually as he caught them, slowing his feet to match their pace. Both Mike and Sam turned and nodded at him in a simple, weak acknowledgement, observing Finn's anxious gaze. "Can I ask you both something?" He started, swinging his helmet loosely at the tips of his fingers.

"Sure," said Sam, flicking his head to the side in an attempt to un-stick the sweaty, blonde hair plastered tightly against his forehead.

"Why did you join the New Directions?" Inquired Finn, glancing between them both slowly.

"Tina." Replied Mike with a simple shrug. "Plus, I love to dance."

"I've been in choir and playing the guitar since I was a little kid." Answered Sam. "Glee Club just… seemed like a good fit."

"We both joined at the beginning of the school year, a few weeks before you transferred." Added Mike, tugging at the collar of his football jersey in a failed attempt to scratch at his glistening skin.

Finn was silent for a moment, absorbing and dissecting their explanations in turn. After a span, he started again, "So… You've both been slushied recently?"

"Oh yeah." Said Sam with a wince, staring off into the distance with a fear-stricken expression as he silently re-lived the experience.

"Unfortunately." Mike frowned.

"And… you, like, didn't quit?" Finn wondered aloud.

"Thought about it," Answered Mike, "But, I fought my Dad so hard into letting me join the Glee Club that I couldn't just back out of it over… well, over _nothing_ , really."

Finn would argue that a slushy to the face didn't exactly qualify as 'nothing', but he kept his irrelevant commentary happily to himself.

"I didn't show up to rehearsal for three days afterwards." Said Sam, his green eyes gushing with apparent guilt. "But, Mr. Schue approached me a few days later and reminded me of why I joined the New Directions in the first place."

"Being?" Prodded Finn, eagerly.

Sam wet his giant lips and shrugged, glancing sideways towards Finn. "It's a club full of good people, y'know?"

"Stop talking about _Gay Club_. This is football practice." A familiar, unwelcomed voice spat from behind. "Y'know… Football? Man's sport?"

Finn, Sam, and Mike all paused in their journey, turning to face Karofsky as he stalked up from their trail. Finn's fingers instinctively began to wrap tightly around his helmet's face guard as he turned his attention fully onto the approaching Jock. With a tightened jaw and a low inflection, Finn took a cautioned step toward Karofsky and narrowed his eyes.

"Awe, what's the matter?" Karofsky taunted. "Did I offend you, ballerina?"

Finn released a heavy flow of air through his flaring nostrils, maintaining his waning composure. "Shove off, dude."

"Did I offend your fruity little brother?" Karofsky further provoked, wiggling his eyebrows up and down.

With that, Finn threw his helmet angrily down onto the ground and took another threatening step towards Karofsky, surprised to find that the Jock noticeably flinched from Finn's ominous advances.

As soon as Finn's hands began to clench into fists Puck appeared (seemingly out of thin air) and stepped in-between Karofsky and Finn while pressing his palm protectively against Finn's chest.

Once Finn's anger dissipated entirely, Puck turned back toward Karofsky and snapped, "Y'know, Lard Ass, maybe if _you_ took up singing and dancing you'd actually get laid."

Karofsky's thin lips curved up into an amused smile and he chuckled lowly. "Yeah, okay. Great advice, Teenage Daddy."

"Have you ever even had a girlfriend, Karofsky?" Inquired Sam, narrowing his eyes and stepping forward to stand among Puck and Finn.

"Do girls even look at you?" Mike followed, muttering beneath his breath.

"Sounds like you're the one who should be joining a Gay Club, Tubs." Puck smirked, folding his arms and shifting his weight.

Karofsky's jaw did a series of pushups as his face flushed into a crimson hue and Finn noticed the Jock's hands beginning to ball into tight, aggressive fists at his sides.

"Four against one." Said Finn softly, motioning towards Karofsky's constricting hands while rooting his stare deep into Karofsky's eyes. "You like those odds?"

Karofsky's eyes immediately twitched onto something behind Finn and his face morphed into a look of relief as he unclenched his fists, abruptly replacing his angered scowl with a wide smile. "You girls are lucky that Coach Beiste is watching."

"Yeah, lucky that we aren't about to go to prison for murder!" Puck called after Karofsky as the Jock quickly rushed past them and retreated towards the safety of the locker rooms.

"I really hate that guy." Mumbled Sam, kicking his toe into the grass with frustration.

"Ignore him." Said Finn, bending forward and scooping his helmet up off of the ground. "He's just an ass."

"Boys," Coach Beiste said from behind them, causing them all to turn and peer expectantly up toward her. "Feelin' ready for Friday's big game?"

Finn held back a cringe as Coach Beiste's words sank heavily into his ears; the first McKinley High football game was this Friday, and Finn had been so distracted with dancing and prepping for the Glee Club's Sectionals that he had _completely_ forgotten about the big game.

When Finn had lived in Lansing, attending Skyline High, football had been the one and only thing that he and his friends had ever loved. Finn had been playing the brutal American sport ever since he was a small child – certainly longer than he could remember – and he had spent many late nights dreaming of one day making it 'big' as a professional football player. In his mind, for all of his life, there was simply no other option; football was his thing!

That was, until recently…

"Hell yeah, we're gonna kick some Panther ass!" Puck hollered, pumping his fist excitedly up into the air and snapping Finn's attention back into the present. Puck then dropped his hand and flinched at Coach Beiste's immediately disgruntled expression. "I mean… _yes Ma'am_."

Finn, Mike, and Sam all chuckled, and Finn slapped his palm against Puck's shoulder with a small smile. "Yeah, Coach," Finn said with a nod, "We're ready."

* * *

Finn caved down onto the cold, hard bench in the middle of the locker room, consumed by the loud laughter and the blaring conversations being held by his fellow teammates around him.

In all of his seventeen years of life Finn had never felt so disconnected and alone while simultaneously being surrounded by so many people. McKinley High's football team, for whatever reason, continually failed to fulfill Finn in the same way that Skyline High's football team had fulfilled him. Perhaps it was the change in people, or perhaps it was the constant clash between himself and Karofsky; regardless, Finn found himself feeling far more excited to attend Glee Rehearsals than he was football practices. And, for what reasoning? Football had been Finn's one and only devotion for his entire life, leading the way towards his bright and hopeful future. Singing, though admittedly fun, hadn't paved a path toward anything promising for Finn… and, yet, he couldn't shake the unarguable charm that Glee Club had somehow imprinted upon him.

As he bent forward, resting his tired chest against his knees, Finn began to loosen the laces tied tightly against his shoes.

" _Ahem_ ," a voice cleared loudly from behind him, causing Finn to cautiously straighten and twist about.

He fully expected to come face-to-face with either Karofsky or one of his thuggish friends and was instantly flooded with relief to instead discover Kurt's familiar, pale face staring down around him.

"Hurry up," Said Kurt, motioning towards Finn's locker while glancing down at him with suspenseful eyes. "It's time to rehears the choreography."

"What… like, now?" Finn inquired, glancing around the locker room while scanning tentatively for eavesdroppers. "Here?"

"Yes, now." Replied Kurt. "We've been secretly doing this in your bedroom for long enough, Finn!"

Finn's jaw tightened as one of his fellow teammates paused right in front of the duo, shooting them a look mixed with both confusion and repulsion.

"Dancing, you pervert! We've been _dancing_ in his bedroom!" Kurt stammered, waving his arms dramatically up into the air while glaring disgustedly back up towards the jock. Somehow, despite his efforts and honesty, Kurt's explanation _still_ didn't seem to negate the awkwardness now mingling within the air.

Once the jock began stumbling off, shaking his head as he went, Kurt turned his attention back onto Finn while dramatically rolling his eyes. " _Anyway_ , meet me in the auditorium when you're all finished up."

Finn opened his mouth to protest but Kurt promptly spun about on his heels and strolled quickly away.

 _Damnit…_

* * *

Finn arrived at the auditorium shortly after showering, his hair still glistening as the fresh drops of water still hung loosely around his dark locks.

The auditorium was massive, easily capable of seating at least two-hundred people, and Finn was immediately abashed by the eerie silence that consumed the large room. He had never stepped foot within the auditorium before – and, really, why would he? The auditorium was used for performances, graduations, and – occasionally – school gatherings; all of which Finn had yet to be a part of. As he moved down the stairs, his footfalls reverberating off of the walls in a soft, rhythmic pattern, Finn began to imagine himself performing upon the stage with an eager, fully attentive audience watching his every move…

 _I can't do this…_

Finn thought plainly to himself, bringing his feet to a halt as he glanced around the large room. Who was he kidding? Sure, his dancing had improved _slightly_ over the past week, but he was expected to perform at Sectionals in two weeks' time! There was no way that he would master all of the choreography by then. There was no way that he would assist the New Directions in moving on to Regionals. There was no way that he could pull any of this off…

Kurt's head suddenly popped out from behind the curtain on the left side of the stage and he beamed up at Finn with an eager grin. "There you are!"

Finn's lips pressed into a hard line as he forcefully willed himself to continue the trek down to the bottom of the stairs. When he arrived at the base he hesitantly glanced up onto the stage, quirking an eyebrow up towards Kurt. "Now what?"

Kurt moved out onto the center of the stage, motioning for Finn travel up onto the platform and join him. "Come on up," he said, offering Finn a sly wink while shifting his weight from one foot onto the other, "Don't be scared, Finn!"

With a long, quiet sigh Finn rounded the stage and took the short flight of stairs up onto the platform where Kurt now stood. An instant chill rolled down Finn's spine as he glanced out onto the countless rows of empty seats; though, he wasn't quite certain if the feeling had been brought on by his stint of intimidation or by the cold drops of water dripping down from his hair onto the back of his neck. When he was standing next to Kurt, he began to inquire, "I still don't understand why we're he-"

"Hi Finn!" Said Rachel with enthusiasm, hopping out from behind the curtain at the left end of the stage.

Finn jerked slightly, startled by Rachel's random appearance and upbeat outburst. She was wearing a black and gold sun dress that fell short right above her knees and her silky brown hair hung in loose, bouncing waves down around her shoulders. The look within her eyes, however, immediately disconcerted Finn…

"Oh-er… Hey, Rach," Finn said hesitantly, leaning in towards Kurt while lowering his voice into a low mumble, "What's she doing here?"

"You need to start learning how to perform with other people." Kurt said, glancing at Finn through the corner of his eye while waving his hand dismissively. "Rachel literally lives for this kind of thing."

"Don't worry," Said Rachel with a smile, skipping towards Finn and thrusting a sheet of music into his unsuspecting hands. Finn reactively received the papers, glancing up just in time to catch Rachel shooting him a fast wink while softly whispering, "I'll go easy on you, Finn."

"Okay, but – you… like, you need to know that I'm not very good…" Finn stuttered, staring down at the sheet music and quickly glancing it over.

"That's alright," Said Rachel with a shrug, hooking her hand around Finn's wrist and pulling him softly towards her, "Just follow my lead! Hit it!"

Finn began to panic as the band at the back of the stage commenced into playing the intro to the song, and he watched with dismay as Kurt consequently disappeared off of the edge of the stage.

Rachel began to tap her feet in a fast paced rhythm, moving her body with the beat of the music while encouraging Finn to mirror her sudden dancing. Finn followed her, familiar with the simple choreography, and he watched her with intrigue as she began to sing the first lines of the song...

"When you first left me, I was wanting more, you were kissing that girl next door, what you do that for?"

"What you do that for?" Finn sang, glancing down at his sheet music as he moved along with Rachel, surprised by his ability at keeping up with her pace.

"When you first left me…" Rachel began, then Finn joined in, "I didn't know what to say, I'd never been on my own that way, just sat by myself all day."

Finn grabbed Rachel's hands and pulled her against him to initiate a small swinging dance, singing along with the background "oh"s as she sang the next few lines.

"I was so lost back then, but with a little help from my friends, I found a light in the tunnel at the end," Finn twirled Rachel around as she paused to draw in a breath, catching her quickly against his right arm, "Now you're calling me up on the phone, so you can have a little whine and a moan, and it's only because you're feeling alone…"

Rachel spun into Finn's embrace, pressing her back against his chest as they began to sing the chorus together, "At first, when I see you cry, yeah, it makes me smile, yeah, it makes me smile," They both began to sway, "At worst, I feel bad for awhile, but then I just smile, I go ahead and smile."

Rachel then spun away from Finn, rounding behind him and tugging at the tips of his fingers as an encouragement to follow her, "Whenever you see me, you say that you want me back…"

"Want me back," Sang Finn, playfully chasing after her as they began to sing back and forth.

"But I tell you it don't mean jack…"

"Don't mean jack!"

"No, it don't mean jack…"

"No, it don't mean jack!"

"I couldn't stop laughing, no I just couldn't help myself…"

"Help myself!"

They latched hands and began moving in beat, singing the next lines off together, "See, you messed up my mental health, I was quite unwell!"

Rachel then slipped away from Finn and moved towards the piano, hopping up onto it so that she was seated at the edge. Finn danced his way next to her, spinning around on his heel as he sang along with the 'oh's in the background once again.

"I was so lost back then, but with a little help from my friends, I found a light in the tunnel at the end," She swayed back and forth, winking at Finn, "Now you're calling me up on the phone, so you can have a little whine and a moan, and it's only because you're feeling alone…"

Finn slipped his hand into Rachel's and twirled her down off of the piano, capturing her back into his arms as they began to sing the chorus once again, "At first, when I see you cry, yeah, it makes me smile, yeah, it makes me smile! At worst, I feel bad for awhile, but then I just smile, I go ahead and smile!"

They began to sing the 'la, la, la's while spinning across the floor and Finn couldn't contain the smile that stretched across his face as Rachel's hair bounced wildly around her. He caught her hand into the palm of his own and they danced up towards the front of the stage, stopping short of the edge as Rachel slipped away once again and swat Finn playfully on the rear.

Finn's face flushed as he spun around to face her and Rachel began to back away as she sang, wiggling her index finger back and forth in an evocative motion. "At first, when I see you cry…"

"See you cry!" Sang Finn, tossing his music sheet to the side and following playfully after her.

"Yeah it makes me smile…"

"Makes me smile!"

"Yeah, it makes me smile…"

"Yeah, it makes me smile!"

"At worst, I feel bad for awhile…"

"Feel bad for awhile!"

"But then I just smile…"

"But then I just smile!"

"I go ahead and smile…"

"Go ahead and smile!" Finn finished while grabbing Rachel's hand, twirling her around, and bowing her down into a low dip against his left forearm.

They were both breathing heavily and smiling wide, staring into each other's eyes for a lasting moment as she rested down against his knee. Then, without hesitation, Finn began to playfully tickle Rachel's sides as she helplessly lay, trapped between his hands.

Rachel instinctively giggled and leaned away from him, gently pressing her hands against his chest in a failed attempt at breaking free. "Ah- Finn!" She laughed, throwing her head back and wiggling within his grasp.

"Brava! Much better!" Kurt called from the front row of seats, standing and clapping.

Finn straightened, pulling Rachel up into a standing position while dropping his hands slowly away from her sides. A hot flush began to creep up onto Finn's neck as he glanced out towards Kurt, realizing that their capricious banter had just been witnessed by an audience.

"See, you're a natural!" Said Rachel, catching her breath.

Finn peered back onto Rachel, grinning. He then gestured between himself, Kurt, and Rachel while wiggling his eyebrows, "We make a pretty good team."

"I'll say," Said a familiar voice, causing all three of them to turn their attention onto the back of the auditorium. Finn felt an embarrassing heat rise up into his cheeks as he recognized Mr. Schuester walking down towards the stage, shooting the three of them a wide, genial smile. When Mr. Schue finally reached the edge of the stage he continued, "You two have incredible stage chemistry. I think we can utilize this for Sectionals."

"No, not that song Mr. Schue… it's so _cheesy_." Said Kurt, twisting his mouth into a frown. "No offense, Rachel."

"Kurt's right." Rachel agreed, putting her finger up to her chin and caving her head forward in deep contemplation. "We need something more exciting! Something bold! Something…" She trailed off as she fell short for words; a situation of which Finn never imagined he would witness.

Finn glanced between Rachel, Kurt, and Mr. Schuester, observing their stumped expressions as they each contemplated their options for Sectionals. Feeling inspired, Finn squared his broad shoulders and puffed his chest outward while moving toward the front of the stage. He stared out into the quiet, empty rows of seating and attempted to picture himself performing confidently in front of a live audience; but, what kind of music would make him feel confident?

"What about Journey?" Finn interjected, glancing down towards Mr. Schuester as the slender teacher leaned his elbows against the edge of the stage. Mr. Schue returned the glance, staring up at Finn curiously. Finn immediately began to elaborate, gesturing back towards Rachel with a flush, "I mean, Rachel and I already sang Faithfully together… sort of... totally without my knowledge..."

Finn trailed off and moved his eyes cautiously onto Rachel.

Rachel stared back at him with a sideways smirk.

"Minor, unimportant details aside; I have to agree with Finn!" Said Rachel quickly, clasping her hands together and rocking back onto her heels. "Classic rock would be an excellent way to grip the audience _and_ win over the judges!"

" _Uhg_ , rock? Really?" Kurt said, sticking his tongue out and jerking his thumb towards the ground. He then looked toward Mr. Schuester and shrugged, "I'm still campaigning for a Beyoncé performance at Sectionals, Mr. Schue!"

Rachel threw her hands dramatically against her sides while gawking at Kurt, "Don't you remember last year, Kurt? Vocal Adrenaline performed Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' at Regionals and won across the board! We _need_ that!"

"I remember a lot of things about last year, Rachel." Said Kurt, shooting her a peculiar look. " _Including_ Vocal Adrenaline's lead performer, Jessie St. Ja-"

" _Minor, unimportant details_!" Rachel butt in loudly, shutting her eyes tightly together and beginning to hum; very much resembling a child ignoring their parent.

Finn glanced between Rachel and Kurt curiously, noting Rachel's obvious discomfort.

"I like the idea, Finn." Mr. Schue said finally, slowly rubbing his hands together and staring off into the distance. His face seemed to ignite with an excited passion as he stared, his thick eyebrows raising excitedly up into his hairline as he began to nod his head enthusiastically. "Let's see if we can make this work!"

"Perfect!" Rachel squeaked with excitement, ignoring Kurt's obvious distaste.

Finn and Rachel exchanged a silent, momentary glance. A glance that, somehow, instilled a strong bout of confidence within Finn.

 _I can do this…_


	6. Gleecon

Finn stared at his reflection in the mirror of the bathroom, running his left index finger down the outline of his soft jawline, closely examining his skin with hopeful eyes. After five minutes of careful examination a sigh of disappointment slipped past his lips as he dropped his hand down onto the side of the sink while drooping his shoulders forward with dismay. Carole had often told Finn that his father had had the face of a baby; completely unable to grow any masculine facial hair, aside from a thin, unattractive mustache. But Finn, determined as he was, refused to believe that his face held the same youthful fate as his father's…

"Pimple?"

Finn felt his face flush as Kurt's familiar voice curiously inquired from the doorway.

"No! No." Stammered Finn, embarrassed.

"I'm thinking about stopping at the Lima Bean on the way to school this morning. Care to join?" Kurt invited, smiling charismatically.

Finn quirked his eyebrow with suspicion, anticipating an explanation for the random invitation.

"What?" Kurt continued defensively, "We've spent a lot of time rehearsing and talking football. Let's go do something without any strings attached. C'mon, it'll be my treat."

Finn smiled slowly, folding his arms across his chest and leaning his hip against the sink. Kurt was right, of course; and the New Directions had spent an exhausting amount of time rehearsing for Sectionals over the course of the past week, vigorously practicing the new songs and choreography both in and outside of school. The performance, which was a combination of three Journey songs that Mr. Schuester referred to as a 'mash up', was quickly proving to be one of the most complicated things Finn had ever had to learn. The dancing, singing, twirling, dipping… it was a constant jumble within his mind. And somewhere in between the zealous rehearsals and his after-school dance practices with Kurt and Rachel, Finn had successfully managed to lead their football team, the McKinley High Titans, on to winning their first big game against the Crimson High Panthers.

Needless to dwell upon, Finn was tired. Physically, mentally, emotionally…

 _Coffee doesn't sound too bad right about now…_

"Fine," Finn finally agreed, flipping the light switch in the bathroom down to the 'off' position while shifting his way past Kurt, "But I'm driving."

* * *

The weather was slowly turning cooler as the days grew shorter, and with that familiar change in the air came the promise of winter fast approaching. Finn eagerly pulled the driver-side door shut behind him as he slipped into the tall truck, his ears twitching along with the sound of the engine as it hummed to life in response to the key twisiting within the ignition.

He took a moment to glance over towards Kurt as he sat in the passenger seat with the sun visor pulled down, turning his face back and forth while thoroughly examining his smooth face. The corner of Finn's mouth curved up into an amused smile as he watched, wondering what was going on within Kurt's mind. Surely he wasn't eagerly searching for hairs, the same way that Finn had been earlier that morning…

"So," Kurt eventually said, flipping the mirror back up and rubbing his lips together, "Do we think the Steelers are going to win the Superbowl this year?"

Finn backed the truck slowly out of the driveway, shaking his head back and forth with an amused grin. "Oh no, no, no! You said no strings attached. We are not talking football."

Kurt was silent for a minute, watching as the houses along their neighborhood street began to drift past the passenger-side window as the truck gained in momentum. The smaller boy then folded his hands neatly within his lap and turned his attention onto Finn. "What do you like other than football and girls, Finn?"

Finn winced. He could hardly blame Kurt for trying; it wasn't like the duo had spent much time genuinely getting to know each other. If they weren't dancing and singing, they were talking about football positions and game schematics... and, in truth, there hadn't been much time for anything else.

"What do you like other than Glee Club and… boys?" Countered Finn, avoiding Kurt's initial question with ease.

"Touché," Kurt said with a nod, curling his lips as he pondered. After a span he perked up and twisted within his seat, pressing his chest eagerly against the seatbelt to face Finn. He then brought up his hands and counted off five different things, starting with an extension of his pinky finger, "I like fashion, interior design, coffee, Beyoncé, and Broadway. Not necessarily in that order."

Finn stared at the road beyond the windshield before him blankly. Now it was his turn to share his interests and likes with Kurt; however, Finn lacked a true grasp on what his interests and likes were anymore. At one point, not so long ago, he knew _exactly_ who he was and where he was supposed to be. But now…

"In Lansing, football and my friends were… everything." Said Finn numbly, shifting uncomfortably within his seat as the feeling of Kurt's eyes staring avidly into the side of his face intensified.

"And now?" Kurt prodded gently.

"I'm figuring it out." Finn retorted plainly. "Everything has changed for me."

Kurt bowed his head forward and leaned back into his seat, allowing a moment of silence to pass between them. Finn slowed to a stop as they approached a red light and he rubbed at his tired eyes, feeling guilty for the way he had shut Kurt out. As he waited for the light to change back to green he offered Kurt a small, crooked smile and continued with an apologetic tone, "I don't really know who I am anymore."

"That's part of growing up. Take it from me; last year was the most difficult year of my entire life. It's the year that I officially admitted who I was to my Dad and, well... everyone." Said Kurt, adding with a chuckle, "Of course, most people assumed."

Finn smiled, absentmindedly wishing that he had been around last year to be a part of Kurt's life. _Maybe I could have helped…_

"Did you always… _know_?"

As soon as the words slipped past Finn's teeth he instantly regretted asking, immediately wishing that he could take the fleeting moment back and erase it entirely. Of course Kurt, in true Kurt fashion, hardly appeared phased by the question.

"As much as a child can. I always knew that I was different." The small boy replied with a shrug. He then smiled brightly and waved his hand through the air in a melodramatic manner. "And by 'different' I mean fabulous beyond compare, of course."

They shared a laugh, and Finn's apprehensive tension dissipated.

"Are there others? At school?" Asked Finn.

"None that I know of," Replied Kurt with a sigh. "Of course after seeing the way I've been treated, I hardly think that anyone would jump at the opportunity to come forward."

A hard lump formed within Finn's throat and his hands tightened angrily around the steering wheel. "I want you to come to me if Karofsky ever messes with you aga-"

"Finn." Kurt interrupted, putting his hand on Finn's forearm to silence him. "I've been pushed into lockers and had slushies thrown in my face for years. I don't need a bodyguard. Besides, the more you stick up for me the harder they'll be on you. And I know that you and Karofsky have almost gotten into it _multiple_ times, on my account."

Finn opened his mouth to protest, but he slammed his jaw shut as Kurt's hand squeezed tightly around his arm for emphasis.

Finn twisted the steering wheel as the truck rolled in and out of traffic, silently pondering to himself. Once again he had been mentally grounded by the realization of how many hardships Kurt had been through over the past several years, amounting to struggles far beyond Finn's comprehension. It was easy for Finn to complain about moving to a new town and having to adjust to his new life – but Kurt… Kurt had been through _real_ pain.

"It's not _just_ because of you. He's an ass." Finn finally resolved with a sigh.

Kurt dropped his hand away from Finn's arm and nodded in agreement. "Perhaps there is a deep-routed reasoning behind his anger."

"Like he's an ass." Offered Finn with a quirked eyebrow.

Kurt chuckled and shook his head, dismissing the discussion altogether. "Speaking of ass," He started with a smile, "Professional football player's pants are _great_!"

"As much as I'd love to get into that topic with you, we're here." Finn laughed uncomfortably, turning the truck abruptly into a vacant parking space in front of the quaint, bustling coffee shop.

* * *

Once the duo had safely made their way into the Lima Bean, and had appropriately placed themselves at the back of the long line that was now forming before the counter, Finn took the opportunity to scan around the room. A countless number of faces blurred together within the small coffee shop; some of them familiar but many of them strange to Finn. There were several recognizable students from McKinley High sprinkled among the crowd; but a majority of the assembly appeared to be adults preparing for work, or students from other schools scrambling to awaken their senses before scurrying off to class.

Finn had successfully managed to avoid this building up until now; though the overwhelmingly delicious smells of freshly baked pastries and crisp, hot coffee forced him to question his reasoning.

"Welcome to the Lima Bean, what can I get 'ya?" The barista asked with a wide smile as Finn and Kurt approached the counter.

Finn stared blankly up at the long list of beverages with immediate intimidation. "Uh…"

Kurt glanced at Finn through the corner of his eye and grinned with amusement. "I'll have a small non-fat mocha…" Kurt paused to place his hand on Finn's shoulder, "And he'll have a large regular coffee."

Finn flushed and glanced down at Kurt. "Thanks…" He said, trailing off as a woman shifted around them to receive a large, iced coffee with whipped topping overflowing from the top.

"You jocks are always refusing to try anything other than 'manly' black coffee." Kurt said, shaking his head as he ushered Finn to the side while noticing Finn's eyes trailing curiously upon the frozen drink in the woman's hands. "It doesn't make you gay to order a Frappuccino with whipped cream, Finn."

"Hey – that's not fair!" Finn defended, gesturing at the woman's drink as she walked away. "I'm not worried about _that_. It's just that I've never tried … a Frappagina?"

Kurt chuckled as the barista reached across the counter to hand them both their steaming hot beverages. "It's called a frapp-u-cci-no, Finn. Say it with me; frapp-u-cci-no."

"I'll just stick with regular coffee." Said Finn, clasping the hot drink gingerly between his hands as he turned slowly around, cautious as to not spill the steaming hot drink all over the floor and himself. As he moved, his eyes locked solely upon the beverage, he was barely able to notice the fast-approaching boy in the black and red blazer as he screeched to a stop a few inches before him.

"Oh – I am so sorry!" The boy uttered quickly and sincerely to Finn, dancing to the left in a hurried attempt to avoid both Finn and his drink. The boy then straightened and glanced curiously from Kurt, to Finn, then back onto Kurt. "Kurt Hummel and Finn Hudson?"

Finn's eyebrow quirked as he looked the boy up and down in an attempt to recognize him. He was a tall, slender boy with slicked-back jet black hair and lusciously thick eyebrows that Finn was _absolutely_ certain he would never forget. The boy was most definitely not a student currently attending McKinley High, and his perfectly-ironed blazer screamed 'prep school attire'. Finn glanced toward Kurt, hoping to find an answer from him, and was taken aback by Kurt's crimson expression.

"Our reputation precedes us?" Said Kurt, a sweet boyish smile tugging at his lips.

Finn felt his jaw tighten as he stared at Kurt, realizing that he had never seen the smaller boy flush in such a manner before now.

"I make it my business to know all about the competition." The blazer-boy replied with a warm smile.

Kurt's jaw fell slightly open and he leaned slowly towards Finn, his eyes never leaving the slender, dark-haired boy before them. "Oh my God," Kurt began to whisper, "He's a Warbler."

Finn was ninety-nine percent positive that a warbler was a tiny bird, and he was one-hundred percent positive that this boy was _not_ a tiny bird. With wincing eyes, Finn replied, "What the hell is a Warbler?"

"I'm Blaine." The boy said, extending his hand firstly out to Finn and then over to Kurt as they each shook it in turn, "The Warbler's are the Glee Club at Dalton Academy."

Kurt bit down onto his lower lip as he mumbled to Finn, "They're _really_ good."

"Spying?" Inquired Blaine with a twinkling, amused look deep within his eyes.

"Youtube." Replied Kurt, wiggling his eyebrows up and down.

"Well," Blaine started, squaring his shoulders and folding his arms across his chest, "You really have to see us perform in person to truly experience the full effect."

"Hold on – I've only been in the New Directions for a few weeks. Aren't _you_ the one spying?" Finn inquired, feeling that it was time he asserted himself within the conversation.

"Hardly," Said Blaine with a shrug, "I got my hands on a copy of last week's Muckraker."

Finn flinched. The Muckraker was the McKinley High newspaper that featured everything _except_ for the truth. In the most recent release there was an entire page dedicated to the New Directions and how all of its members were in exclusive relationships with varying breeds of animals…

"That newspaper is full of slanderous lies." Kurt said quickly, practically tossing his drink to the ground as he flailed his arms with enthusiasm.

"I hope so," Blaine said with a low inflection, looking at Kurt with a small smile. Finn bit down onto his tongue as he witnessed the exchange between Kurt and Blaine, feeling disconcerted by the way their eyes locked…

"Listen, we have something special planned for this afternoon." Blaine eventually started again, tearing his eyes away from Kurt. "Why don't you two stop by after school?"

Finn opened his mouth to object.

"We'll be there." Blurted Kurt, not missing a beat.

"Perfect!" Blaine smiled, putting his hands on both of their shoulders and beaming. "See you at three!" He then moved softly around them and exited the coffee shop, seeming to float away on a cloud of enthusiasm.

Once Blaine had disappeared past the Lima Bean's windows Finn dropped his attention curiously onto Kurt. "'We'll be there?'" He mimicked while moving towards an empty table with chairs, eventually placing his coffee down with vigor while awaiting Kurt's explanation.

Kurt wistfully walked toward the empty table and fell dramatically into one of the vacant chairs, staring dreamily out the window towards the direction in which Blaine had disappeared. "He's the most handsome man I've ever seen."

Finn sat slowly down across from Kurt, pressing his lips into a hard line.

After a silent span Finn said, plainly, "He's the competition."

Kurt sighed heavily, finally bringing his attention onto Finn with a whimsical smile. "It will be a beautiful love affair."

Finn snorted, shaking his head softly back and forth. "I thought _I_ was the most handsome man you'd ever seen."

"Close second." Said Kurt with a shrug, causing Finn to chuckle. Kurt then brought the cup of warm mocha up to his lips, brightening after taking a short sip and pointing his finger up towards Finn. "You're coming with me, right?"

Finn frowned and leaned heavily against the back of his chair. "I have football practice. It's the last practice before tomorrow's big game. We're playing against our rival school."

"Skip it! This is Glee recon!" Kurt demanded, slapping his palm against the table for emphasis.

Finn began to laugh, then stopped himself short as Kurt's eyes fell into a somber humorlessness.

"Oh, you're… you're serious." Finn mumbled, leaning forward and shifting uncomfortably within his chair as Kurt's eyes peered into him with unwavering sincerity.

Finn had never seen Kurt act like this. This was truly important to Kurt. Kurt was not going to take no for an answer.

After a long, awkward moment of staring into Kurt's eyes Finn finally caved his shoulders forward in a defeated motion and muttered, " _Fine_."

* * *

Finn walked across the school parking lot towards his truck, holding his new red and white varsity jacket tightly against himself as the chilling fall air whipped crisply by. As he moved, glancing around as students began to drive their cars eagerly off of the campus, he recollected his recent conversation with coach Beiste as he attempted to ditch this afternoon's football practice.

" _Coach, I can't make it to practice today." Said Finn, shoving his hands awkwardly into his jacket's pockets as he stood in the doorway to Coach Beiste's office. Coach Beiste glanced up at him from behind her desk, an expression of growing confusion morphing across her face, and Finn scrambled to continued, "I'm-er… I'm sick."_

 _Coach Beiste pressed her lips together, raising both eyebrows up into her hairline, glancing Finn up and down while sighing heavily through her nose. "With what?"_

 _Finn's mind scrambled in several different directions as he drastically searched for a viable and believable excuse. He immediately clung on to the random recollection of a girl who had attended Skyline High with Finn; she had often times been excused from classes and sports for having an unusual ailment that Finn had never heard of before…_

" _I… have Lupus." Finn said, fake-coughing into his hand._

 _Coach Beiste snorted out of her nose, stifling a laugh. "You do not."_

" _Uh… yeah. Yeah I do." Finn pressed, somberly nodding while shifting his eyes nervously._

" _Hudson, do you even know what Lupus is?" Asked Coach Beiste, standing up from her chair and slowly rounding her desk._

" _A – uh – really bad cold?" Finn inquired, gnawing on the inside of his cheek as Coach Beiste stared blankly down upon him._

 _With another long, heavy sigh Coach Beiste rolled her eyes and pointed a threatening finger in Finn's direction. "Don't miss tomorrow's game."_

 _Finn nodded – adding in another fake cough for good measure – then made his way swiftly down the hallway, leaving Coach Beiste's office far behind._

A loud car horn interrupted Finn's thoughts, drawing his light brown eyes up onto the familiar image of his truck. Within the large vehicle sat Kurt, waving his hand excitedly from the passenger seat while motioning for Finn to join him.

As Finn entered the car, immediately pleased to be engulfed by the cozy, warm air, he opened his mouth to speak…

"Okay, so what's the plan?" Rachel's voice interrupted from the back seat as she popped up with enthusiasm.

Finn jumped within his own seat, whipping around to stare at the brunette girl with a horrified expression. He then glanced toward Kurt with wide, accusatory eyes and inquired with slight exasperation, " _God_ – does she always pop up like this!?"

Kurt shrugged, rocking his head back and forth with narrow eyes. "She's kind of terrifying."

"Don't you think that you and me are going to, like, stick out enough as it is? You know… _without_ bringing a girl into the _all-boy's boarding school_?" Asked Finn, bouncing his gaze between Kurt and Rachel in turn.

"She insisted on coming along!" Kurt stammered defensively, amusement twinkling behind his bright eyes.

"As usual, I am one step ahead of you both." Rachel assured, pulling a hooded sweatshirt out of her bag and proceeding to push her arms through the sleeves. Finn watched her through the rearview mirror with interest as she then tugged the dark hood up over the top of her head while pulling at the strings, tightly fastening the hood around her face so that only her nose and eyes were visible. She then exclaimed in a muffled voice through the thick, dark fabric, "See! They'll never know I'm a girl."

Finn stared at her with disbelief for a moment in the rearview mirror, then twisted around to give her a stern look. "You are not wearing that."

"Finn's right," Kurt said with a twisted smile, "You look like a terrorist."

Rachel pushed the hood back from her face, causing her dark locks to tumble messily around her. She then blew the raven-colored strands away from her lips and ran her fingers through her wild mane of hair, glancing between the boys with disappointment. "But… I am the captain of the New Directions! I _need_ to be a part of this Gleecon!"

"Glee- _what_?" Finn inquired, watching as Rachel combatted her untamed hair.

"Glee Recon, Finn! Gleecon!" Rachel spat, digging her hand back into her bag and busily fumbling around within it before eventually tugging out a golden handled hair brush.

"This is nuts." Finn mumbled, turning back around within his seat.

"I'm sure it will be fine if she comes along. We _were_ invited, after all." Kurt said in a finalizing tone, reaching over and twisting the key into the ignition in front of Finn.

Finn tugged the driver side seatbelt across his chest and clicked it into place at his hip while glancing up at the rearview mirror once more, unable to contain the smile of amusement that stretched across his lips as he gazed back at Rachel. She certainly was dedicated to this Show Choir thing…

* * *

 **A/N:**

Hey Gleeks :) . Yes, I'm fully aware that it has been _about_ a year since I've updated this (better late than never!?) and I apologize. Life happens, hm?

Anywho, I'm sorry. Super sorry.

But heyyyyy-o, at least we've got Blaine! :D


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